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This paper presents a novel analysis about the capabilities of academic researchers and academic poverty. Adopting the capability approach, which Amartya Sen developed to address concerns such as poverty, inequality and development, we shift the focus of analysis and discussion around evaluating academic research and academics in the social sciences from measures of so-called 'quality', 'impact' or 'excellence' to the capabilities of academics. For us, the conceptualization and evaluation of academic research is a question about what academics have reasons to value, and about their ability to achieve valuable beings and doings. It is also about determining what might constitute academic poverty, and what academics are required to do in order to avoid that poverty. Relating our analysis to debates around universities, in particular about quasi-market pressures, we identify the possibility of basic capabilities in academic research, namely: the capabilities that are necessary to fulfill basic academic needs. Our proposition is that there is academic poverty when an academic researcher is not capable of fulfilling basic academic needs, such as: adhering to standards of coherence, robustness and rigour; searching for and disseminating the spirit of the truth. Moreover, if the academic has the capabilities to fulfill those basic academic needs and yet chooses not to do so, she renders herself in a state akin to academic poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea to find out if economic growth is pro-poor in Niger comes from the observation that despite good macroeconomic performance during the 2000s, poverty remains high. In this paper, two objectives are pursued. First, using an approach based on Kakwani et al. (2002), pro-poor growth is examined according to regional characteristics and place of residence. From the results obtained, it appears that overall economic growth is pro-poor Nigerien, except in cities (including Niamey) where growth seems to be pro-rich - the negative interference of inequality more than offset the positive effect of growth. Second, a simulation exercise is proposed to estimate the level of growth required to reduce poverty by 50 per cent, consistent with the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals. The study shows that Niger cannot achieve such a goal by maintaining a growth rate of 10.5 per cent, and only in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]