Multidimensional Poverty: Quantitative and Qualitative Analysis from District Sargodha, Pakistan

Abstract

Poverty is highly responsive to economic growth, and there is a negative relationship between poverty and economic growth. Hence, it is essential to eradicate it from the world as it is a cause of many social problems. The present study analyzes multidimensional poverty in the Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan district through quantitative and qualitative approaches. The study applied Alkire and Foster's (2007) technique in quantitative analysis to measure the Global Multidimensional Poverty Index for district Sargodha. Year of schooling and child school attendance are the indicators used to assess the dimension of education. Nutrition and child mortality are the indicators for the dimension of health, while electricity, sanitation, drinking water, flooring, cooking fuel, and asset ownership are indicators of living standards. Focus Group discussions and case studies have been done to analyze multidimensional poverty qualitatively to make evidence-based policy. The study surveyed 300 households from district Sargodha by adopting the multi-stage sampling technique. The multidimensional poverty index for Sargodha is 0.186, showing that 18.6 percent of the population is multidimensional poor. Education contributes 39 percent to overall poverty, which is higher than the other dimensions. The indicators for health are improved in rural settlements compared to urban areas, and almost 75 percent of the population is deprived of sanitation facilities. Based on the findings, MPI should be used to allocate scarce resources efficiently. There should be different policies for different geographical settlements. Providing quality education and improved health facilities are the key factors to eradicate poverty in the future.