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This study investigates seven dimensions of poverty in Vietnam (income, health, education, housing, assets, basic services and economic status) using the Household Living Standard Survey data of 2014. The Government of Vietnam disburses funds for poverty alleviation to regions on the basis of incidence of household income poverty. Our study shows that this method neither fully captures the complex regional diversity of poverty nor does it accurately identify regions with a higher severity of poverty. For the first time in poverty studies of Vietnam, we explore the role of multiple spatial levels on poverty in multiple dimensions. Unlike the practice in the existing literature which classifies the poor with an arbitrary poverty cut-off, we use a fuzzy method that allows the inclusion of people who are in partial poverty. Furthermore, by utilizing random intercept multilevel models to decompose the variation of poverty at the household, commune, district and province levels, poverty maps for Vietnam are developed to visualize the spatial evidence of the severity and incidence of poverty. We identify that the provinces that are relatively less (more) poor in the income dimension are more (less) destitute in several other dimensions, which clearly shows a need for special policy attention. Our method reveals that the poverty ranking of provinces in regional Vietnam departs widely from those obtained through traditional single-level analysis. This suggests that poverty in Vietnam can be explained not only by characteristics at the household level, but also by contextual factors at higher levels (commune/village, district, province). These empirical findings can help Vietnamese policy makers determine suitable strategies to effectively target the most deprived regions and to develop more appropriate poverty-alleviation programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current literature on poverty focuses intensively on objective poverty, which is based on household income, household consumption, basic needs, calorie intake or a multidimensional poverty approach. In contrast, this paper researches subjective poverty, which is compared with objective poverty measured by income in Pakistan. Using Pakistan Panel Household Survey 2010 data, where household heads classify themselves on a ten-point-scale from the poorest to the richest, we find that the determinants of subjective poverty (feeling poor) are not limited to household consumption, but include household size, household demographic structure, agriculture land ownership, sanitation facility, physical and food insecurity. In comparison with the overall non-poor, the objective poor and the subjective poor households are determined by different factors. Particularly, for households lying below the subjective poverty line, factors such as education, household size, own residence and physical security have a significant positive impact on the eradication of poverty relative to overall non-poor. In addition, the Spearman Rank test upholds that subjective poverty measure complements the conventional method. Thus, priority should be given to specific targeted determinants, which are more important in the alleviation of poverty, while making and implementing public policy given the limited available resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While official poverty measures tend to focus on income alone, measures of material hardship also incorporate aspects of need. Families experience material hardship when they have difficulty paying bills or buying things the household needs, such as food, medicine and medical care. The current study develops four measures of material and emotional hardship and focusses on two groups that have high risks of poverty in Israel, namely Israeli-Palestinians and Ultra-orthodox Jews-Haredim, and compares them with the non-Haredi Jewish majority. Comparing Israeli-Palestinians, Haredim and non-Haredi Jews provides an opportunity to study the intersection of poverty and group membership. Group membership may affect hardship because groups differ in living conditions, poverty histories, social networks, access to resources, and perceptions of needs. The study draws on Israel's 2013 Social Survey, conducted by Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (n = 7438). The findings point to substantial degrees of inequality among the disadvantaged. Although Haredim and Palestinians have similar levels of income-poverty, the study shows that the consequences of low-income in terms of deprivation and hardship are more severe among Israeli-Palestinians than among (Haredi and non-Haredi) Jews. Israeli-Palestinians experience higher levels of material and emotional hardship than Haredim after controlling for household income. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social security policies often focus on replacement rates, which indicate retirement income or social security benefits in relation to preretirement income. The higher replacement rate among the pensioners would ensure that the ageing society would have sufficient income to lead a normal life after retirement. This study examined factors that influencing the income replacement rate of Malaysian Employee Provident Fund (EPF) retirees. The analysis was based on a nationwide survey conducted in 2013-2014 among EPF retiree. A logit model was used to evaluate the likelihood of selected socio-demographic and economic factors contributing to income of the retirees. The results indicated that around 62 % of elderly has lower retirement income compared to their preretirement income and it makes them more vulnerable to unpredictable events and financial conditions. The study suggested that the income replacement rate of elderly could be strengthened by investing in ageing workforce, raising retirement age, enhancing educational achievements of low income groups and restructuring employment. These may in turn increase the availability of skilled workers, enhancing the national productivity, increase the income security of retirees, reduce poverty, and develop economic growth of the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper assesses the Alkire and Foster (AF) approach to measure multidimensional poverty and proposes a 'dimensional' approach with economic resources, inner capabilities, and relational resources to account for its conceptual deficits. By measuring poverty in the United States using data from General Social Survey, it shows that, compared to the AF approach, the two-step process of the dimensional approach can provide greater insights into the form and structure of poverty, helping to analyze issues more comprehensively and inform policy decisions better. The relevance of the specific poverty dimensions and indicators and their operationalization are discussed and carried further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an empirical model aimed at testing the relative income hypothesis and the effect of deprivation relative to mean income on subjective well-being. The main concern is to deal with subjective panel data in an ordered response model where error homoskedasticity is not assumed. A heteroskedastic pooled panel ordered probit model with unobserved individual-specific effects is applied to micro-data available in the British Household Panel Survey for 1996-2007. In this framework, absolute income impacts negatively on both completely satisfied and dissatisfied individuals, while relative income affects positively the most satisfied ones. Such an effect is asymmetric, impacting more severely on the relatively poor in the reference group. We argue that our results buttress the validity of the relative income hypothesis as an explanation of the happiness paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of studies investigate the effect of income on life satisfaction at either individual or country level. This study contributes with analysis at the (sub-national) province level across West European countries. I use a unique dataset Eurobarometer 44.2 Bis that is representative of province populations in a multilevel model. Provinces are defined according to The Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics at second level (NUTS II). Living conditions measured by regional income increase life satisfaction beyond personal income and national income. There is larger life satisfaction inequality between the rich and the poor in poor provinces than in rich provinces. Personal income matters more for life satisfaction in poor provinces than in rich provinces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although income and happiness have been linked at both the individual and national levels of analysis, few studies have specifically examined the different relationships between these two variables in affluent nations. This study investigates various measures of well-being in both the United States and Denmark. Respondents in both countries reported high levels of well-being but Americans generally reported greater positive and negative affect while Danes reported higher levels of satisfaction and enjoyment. Interestingly, low income respondents in the United States reported higher negative affect and lower life satisfaction than their counterparts in Denmark. For positive affect, the major difference between the two countries was found among high income respondents. The key to understanding differences in the well-being of these two nations appears to lie in understanding the well-being of the poor. Suggestions for future directions in research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shifting focus from income to capability signifies an important milestone toward accurately measuring poverty and deprivation. This paper operationalizes capability deprivation in the United States and compares measurement outcomes among various capability approaches and between capability and income spaces. Of the three capability approaches examined, the factor score absolute approach suggests a greater extent of deprivation and more comprehensive demographic profiles of the deprived. Additionally, I find that using the capability space may further attenuate the extent of deprivation over that using the income space and alter somewhat the stereotypical profiles of the poor and deprived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the link between individual income and life satisfaction. Factors affecting life satisfaction level of low income people; Cross-level interaction between wealth and income; Impact of unemployment on individual life contentment.