SOAS Research Online

Abstract

In this paper we discuss the compatibility of different global poverty estimates under a unified framework. We examine the updating rules of the international poverty lines under different purchasing power parity exchange rate estimates, and discuss the way this has affected the latest World Bank poverty line updates. The issue of lack of comparability of survey means and national accounts data are also discussed, and it is argued that the positions based on using one set of data as indicators of average well being with the exclusion of the other are problematic. We put forward an alternative approach to deal with the inconsistency between the two data sources, which consists of calibrating the survey means using the national accounts data as external calibrating information. We show that combining the information in both sets of data in this way produces poverty measures which are more in congruence with other indicators of national poverty.