There has been a growing interest in what have come to be termed "multidimensional indices of poverty." Advocates for … that other factors need to be considered when quantifying the extent of poverty and informing policy making for fighting … poverty. However, the author argues that there are two poorly understood issues in assessing these indices. First, does one …

The authors report new estimates of measures of absolute poverty for the developing world over 1981-2004. A clear trend … no sustained progress in reducing the number of poor, with rising poverty counts in some regions, notably Sub …-Saharan Africa. There are encouraging signs of progress in reducing the incidence of poverty in all regions after 2000, although it …