Dignified Ageing: a capability-based older persons-specific framework for evaluating multidimensional poverty applied to Peru

Abstract

The aim of this thesis is to explore how Amartya Sen’s capability approach could contribute to developing a comprehensive and policy-relevant framework for evaluating multidimensional poverty among older persons living in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs). I propose an alternative capability-based older persons-specific framework for poverty evaluation: the Dignified Ageing Framework (DAF). The DAF is an evaluative and normative framework with two purposes: evaluating multidimensional poverty in later life with focus on LMICs and conducting multidimensional poverty analysis from a policy-relevant perspective. After developing the DAF, I specify it to the context of a middle-income country: Peru. Based on this specification, I propose a portfolio of older persons-specific measures of multidimensional poverty for Peru that includes a dashboard of 16 indicators of deprivation as well as a Multidimensional Poverty Index for Older Persons (MPI-OP) based on the Alkire and Foster counting-axiomatic method. The MPI-OP is formed by the 16 indicators of the dashboard and reflects the joint distribution of deprivation older Peruvians suffer over seven dimensions: (i) health, (ii) mobility, (iii) knowledge, (iv) social connectedness, (v) employment and social protection, (vi) shelter, and (vii) basic facilities. I use this portfolio of indicators to evaluate the multidimensional poverty situation of older persons in Peru and to develop policy guidelines to improve the set of social protection policies specific to this population. This thesis makes two contributions: a theoretical and empirical one. First, it develops a comprehensive framework for poverty evaluation in later life which goes beyond conventional frameworks that rely only on monetary information, subjective information, or on the notions of ‘successful’, ‘active’ or ‘healthy’ ageing. Second, it contributes to the empirical literature on poverty measurement by developing an older persons-specific multidimensional poverty measure for a LMIC.

Date of Award	12 Oct 2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Severine Deneulin (Supervisor) & James Copestake (Supervisor)