Poverty in Kathmandu: What do subjective and objective economic welfare concepts suggest?

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20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Conventional definitions suggest that the concept of economic welfare underpins poverty. Unsettled issues abound with respect to using subjective versus objective approaches, however. Using micro-level survey data, this paper explores subjective and objective concepts of economic welfare to identify characteristics of poverty in Kathmandu. While application of the subjective and objective concepts of economic welfare yields rather different characteristics, the former appears to be more comprehensive with ability to incorporate the latter in poverty measurement and analysis. This indicates that subjective assessments of households can provide a more realistic picture of poverty when used with actual income and consumption data. Although this paper does not seek to develop any particular poverty standard, it provides a useful framework for integrating subjective and objective approaches with a promise of more comprehensive poverty measurement outcomes.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)73-95
Number of pages23
JournalJournal of Economic Inequality
Volume5
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2007
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Consumption
  • Income
  • Kathmandu
  • Poverty
  • Structural equation
  • Subjective views

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Sociology and Political Science
  • General Economics, Econometrics and Finance
  • Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

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