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  • Searchable Empirical Database

Searchable Empirical Database

This empirical data bank is an initiative of the HDCA's thematic group on Quantitative Research Methods.

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Research Title Related Publications Year Authors Aim/Topic Of The Study Focus Type of Data Level Source Geographical Context Dimensions Considered Methodology
Rural Infrastructure and its Impact on Agricultural Performance in India

Kousik Das Malakar secondary data micro India
Changing the Land Surface Temperature and degradation of Ecological Environment: A Case Study in Urban Heat Island areas of Kolkata and Medinipur, India by Using Geospatial Technology

Kousik Das Malakar secondary data micro India, Kolkata, Medinpur
Flood Frequency Analysis Using Gumbel’s Method: A Case Study of Lower Godavari River Division, India

Kousik Das Malakar secondary data micro
Rural Livelihood and Mangrove Degradation: A Case Study of Namkhana Block, West Bengal, India

2020 Kousik Das Malakar Mangroves are a diverse group of trees, shrubs, palms, and ferns growing in the marine intertidal zone or estuarine margins zone where they formed transitional environmental links between inland terrestrial landscape and nearshore marine environment. It plays the role of a dynamic habitation between land and sea (Buffer coastal ecosystem). In my study area, Namkhana block in W.B. (near about world biggest Mangrove environment Sundarban), here I saw that Mangrove is morely degraded due to this area’s people's livelihood. So, I write a paper and find out what is the relation of this area’s Mangrove environment and people's livelihood. Mainly, focused temporally changing the land cover situation of the Namkhana block area’s Mangrove and how the rural livelihood was affected this area’s mangrove? and finally include conservation policy also. Because It feels that, ‘A sea coast without a Mangrove, it looks like a tree without any root!’ primary data micro India, Namkhana
Microfinance, capabilities, and agency development among rural women: Evidence from Bangladesh

Mohammad Shahjahan Chowdhury primary data micro Bangladesh
Project Field Report: Rural Development of India (Physical and Socio-Economic Conditions of Baragere Village, Kharagpur-II, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal)

Kousik Das Malakar primary data micro India
Complementarity analysis of the Priority Areas Development Program and the Priority Attention Areas Program in the National Crusade Against Hunger Program in indigenous municipalities in the State of Veracruz Mexico

Carlos Medel-Ramírez & Hilario Medel-López primary data macro National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) State of Veracruz, Mexico Binary Logistic Regression Model
Proposed methodology for estimating the index of social exclusion: the case of indigenous population in the state of Veracruz Mexico.

Carlos Medel-Ramírez, Hilario Medel-López primary data macro Mexico
Inequality in the Monetary and Functionings Spaces: The Case of Peru Under the First Garcia Government (1985-1990) Francesco Burchi, Andrea Passacantilli In this article, we analyze inequality changes in Peru under the first Garcia government (1985–1990). Our findings indicate that stability in consumption inequality and a substantial decline in wealth inequality were achieved, probably thanks to the government's demand-led policies, despite their deleterious effects on other macroeconomic indicators. The following analysis reveals that inequality in most functionings, including overall well-being, diminished, as did geographical disparities. We thus offer here (i) a methodological contribution to the debate on inequality, stressing the need to go beyond consumption/income inequality if one wants to track inequality changes across time, and (ii) a contribution to the debate about the socioeconomic situation in Peru between 1985 and 1990. commodities, functionings, income, Inequality; Economic Policy; Peru secondary data micro Peru Education; Health; Decent Job; Living Standards. Composite indicators of wellbeing; inequality indicators; descriptive statistics.
On Exact Statistical Properties of Multidimensional Indices Based on Principal Components, Factor Analysis, MIMIC and Structural Equation Models

2009 Jaya Krishnakumar, University of Geneva Reviewing the most important latent variable models which form the basis of multidimensional indices of human development (or deprivation) starting
from simpler ones such as factor analysis and going up to structural equation models
capabilities, functionings secondary data macro UN Middle and low income countries for the year 2000 Latent endogenous: Health, Education, and Political freedom.
Achievement indicators: Political Rights, Civil Liberties, Voices and Accountability, Adult literacy rate, combined Gross Enrolment Ratio, Life expectancy, Infant mortality rate
Structural Equation Model, and MIMIC
Estimating Basic Capabilities: A Structural Equation Model Applied to Bolivia 2008 Jaya Krishnakumar, Paola Ballon Proposes a suitable theoretical framework for operationalizing the capability approach using the latent variable methodology. A structural equation model is specified to account for the unobservable and multidimensional aspects characterizing the concept of human development and to capture the mutual influence among different capabilities. secondary data micro MECOVI -Bolivia Bolivia – Latin America
Multidimensional poverty among children in Uruguay Verónica Amarante, Rodrigo Arim, Andrea Vigorito To measure and to compare multidimensional poverty with income poverty in households with children and elderly in Uruguay secondary data micro UruHHS Uruguay Education, Living conditions and access to resources
Poverty and wealth reporting of the German Government: Approach, lessons and critique

2009 Juergen Volkert To introduce the concept of individual potentials and instrumental freedoms in the measurement of capabilities and poverty in Germany with a special focus on inequalities in gender, political participation and interdependences between financial and non financial issues of poverty. capabilities, functionings secondary data micro GSOEP, ALLBUS Germany Individual potentials as financial means, commodities and personal conversion factors and instrumental freedom Maximum Likelihood Probit
On Exact Statistical Properties of Multidimensional Indices Based on Principal Components, Factor Analysis, MIMIC and Structural Equation Models

2008 Jaya Krishnakumar This paper reviews principal components and various latent variable models, reaffirms their appropriateness in this context, examines the statistical properties of resulting indices, gives analytical expressions of their variances and establishes certain exact relationships among them. capabilities, functionings primary data macro Methodological Paper Methodological Paper Methodological Paper Principal components and various latent variable models
Human development, Capability approach, Latent variables, Item response, Simultaneous equations 2007 Jaya Krishnakumar To propose a structural equation econometric model that accounts for the interdependence among latent dimensions and other observed endogenous factors and includes causal exogenous variables affecting the latent dimensions and their indicators capabilities secondary data macro Going Beyond Functionings to Capabilities: An Econometric Model to Explain and Estimate Capabilities Middle income countries; low income countries Latent endogenous variables: (i) Knowledge; (ii) Health; (iii) Political Freedom.
Achievement indicators for each dimension:
(i) Adult literacy rate; gross enrollment ratio;
(ii) Life expectancy at birth; infant mortality rate; under-five mortality ra
Latent variables; Item response; Simultaneous equations
MEASURES OF EFFECTIVE LITERACY: A THEORETICAL AND EMPIRICAL NOTE Diganta Mukherjee and Manash Ranjan Gupta To demonstrate that if a measure satisfies the anonymity, monotonicity and externality axiom instead of the all five axioms proposed in Basu and Foster (1998) then it is suitable for some specifically public policy applications. functionings secondary data micro NSSO India Literacy deprivation Axiomatic properties for the literacy deprivation measure
A dynamic operationalization of Sen’s capability approach Marco Grasso To operationalize Sen's framework by system dynamics functionings secondary data micro Annuario Statistico Regionale Italy Physical and psychological health; Education and Training; Social interactions System dynamics
Measuring the Distribution of Human Development: methodology and an application to Mexico James E. Foster , Luis F. Lopez‐Calva & Miguel Szekely To present a new parametric class of human development indeces that includes the original HDI as well as a family of distribution sensitive indices that satisfy all the basic properties for an index of human development functionings secondary data micro Census Mexico Health, Education, Income Extension of HDI
Measurement of Human Development: an alternative approach 2005 Shoutir Kishore Chatterjee To develop an alternative approach for the Human Development Index sensitive in the general level and the degree of inequality of each of the components of the index. functionings secondary data micro NSSO India Health, education, standards of living Extension of HID
Measuring welfare: latent variable models for happiness and capabilities in the presence of unobservable heterogeneity Twitter Share icon Anand, Paul; Krishnakumar, Jaya and Tran, Ngoc Bich The paper contributes to the operationalisation of the capabilities approach to welfare economics by developing and analyzing data on the freedoms of adults in Argentina. Specifically, it reports on the development of a survey instrument for measuring capabilities, calculates for each respondent a Nehring-Puppe type index of their capabilities, and examines the distribution of index scores. Themain analytic part of the paper then goes on to develop a generalized linear latent and mixed model (GLLAMM) for assessing the impact of capabilities on life satisfaction, in which allowance is made for (i) unobserved heterogeneity and (ii) possible endogeneity by introducing latent individual effects and by instrumenting capability variables using income and other socio-economic variables. Our empirical results show that empathy, self-worth, goal-autonomy, discrimination, safety and stress are statistically significant determinants of life satisfaction, in a decreasing order of importance. The paper concludes by suggesting that, if replicated, the findings have profound implications for the conceptualisation and evaluation of economic progress.

capabilities, Subjective wellbeing, Freedoms, GLLAMM, Happiness, Instrumental variables, Multi-dimensionality primary data micro Capability Survey Argentina Health, Freedom of Political Expression, Freedom of Political Participation, Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Thought, Emotional Capabilities, Security, Environment and Social Relations, Discrimination, Work 1. Composite Indicators and Distributional Measures2. Latent Variable Modelling (Generalised Linear Latent and Mixed Modelling)3. Individual Unobserved Heterogeneity
The Measurement of Multidimensional Poverty Francois J. Bourguignon, Satya R. Chakravarty To explore how to combine different attributes nto a single index through some arbitrary function and defining a poverty line and associated poverty measures on the basis of that index functionings secondary data micro PNAD Household Surveys (years: 1981 and 1987) Brazil Income; Education Axiomatic properties for a social welfare family of indices
Conversion Efficiency as a Complementing Measure of Welfare in Capability Space Martin Binder, Tom Broekel To develop a measure of welfare, (e.g. "the conversion efficiency") measuring the efficiency with which individuals convert their resources into achieved functionings. functionings, Efficiency in conversion from resources into functionings secondary data micro BHPS United Kingdom Well-being; Health status; Highest academic qualification. Robust nonparametric efficiency analysis
On Measuring Literacy 1006 Kaushik Basu, James E. Foster To present a new approach to evaluate the aggregate literacy level by taking into account the intra-household externality arising from the presence of a literate member. functionings secondary data micro Indian Census (1981) India Literacy deprivation Axiomatic properties for the literacy deprivation measure
Beyond Headcount: Measures that Reflect the Breadth and Components of Child Poverty Sabina Alkire and José Manuel Roche A new approach to child poverty measurement that reflects the breadth and components of child poverty - illustrated with data from Bangladesh in the period 1997-2007. It argues that child poverty should not be assessed only according to the incidence of poverty but also by the intensity of deprivations that batter poor children’s lives at the same time. functionings secondary data micro Demographic Helath Survey (DHS) Bangaldesh Nutrition (stunting, wasting and underweight), Health (immunization and medical treatment for sever illness), Safe Drinking Water, Improved Sanitation, Adequate Housing, Access to Information Counting Approach Alkire & Foster MethodAnalysis over time
Measuring multidimensional poverty in India : a new proposal Alkire, Seth This paper focuses on the methodology by which India’s 2002 Below the Poverty Line (BPL) census data identify the poor and construct a BPL headcount. Using the BPL 2002 methodology it identifies which rural families would have been considered BPL if NFHS (National Family Health Survey) data had been used rather than BPL census data. It compares these to poor families that would be identified using the same variables with the Alkire and Foster multidimensional poverty methodology. commodities, consumption secondary data micro National Family Health Survey Data India Living Standards, Health Water and Sanitation, Air Quality, Assets, Education, Livelihood, Child Status, Empowerment Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
Multidimensional Poverty in BhuMaria Emma Santos and Karma Ura Maria Emma Santos, Karma Ura This paper estimates multidimensional poverty in Bhutan applying a recently developed methodology by Alkire and Foster (2007) using the 2007 Bhutan Living Standard Survey data functionings primary data micro Bhutan Living Standard Survey Data Bhutan Standard of Living, Education and Housing Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
Multidimensional Measurement of Poverty in Sub Saharan Africa Yele Batana This paper estimates multidimensional poverty in fourteen Sub-Saharan African countries using the Alkire and Foster multidimensional poverty measures, whose identification method is based on a counting approach. Four dimensions are considered: assets, health, schooling and empowerment functionings secondary data micro Demography and Health Surveys (DHS) Fourteen Sub-Saharan African Countries Standard of Living, Health, Education and Empowerment Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
Income and Beyond: Multidimensional Poverty in Six Latin American Countries Diego Battiston, Guillermo Cruces, Luis Felipe Lopez Calva, Maria Ana Lugo and Maria Emma Santos This paper presents empirical results of a wide range of multidimensional poverty measures for: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay, for the period 1992–2006. functionings secondary data micro Socioeconomic Database for Latin America and Caribbean (SEDLAC) and Centre de Estudios Distributivos Laborales y Sociales (CEDLAS) and World Bank Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, Brazil, Mexico and Uruguay. Standard of Living, Health, Education and Public Services Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
Acute Multidimensional Poverty: A New Index for Developing Countries Sabina Alkire and Maria Emma Santos This paper presents a new Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for 104 developing countries. It is the first time multidimensional poverty is estimated using micro datasets (household surveys) for such a large number of countries which cover about 78 percent of the world´s population. functionings secondary data micro Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), Multiple Indicators Health Survey (MIHS) and World Health Survey (WHS), and other National Survey 104 developing countries Health, Education and Standard of Living. Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
Counting and multidimensional poverty measurement Sabina Alkire, James Foster This paper proposes a new methodology for multidimensional poverty measurement consisting of anidentification method k that extends the traditional intersection and union approaches, and a class of poverty measures M.
functionings secondary data micro Indonesian Family Life Survey and National Health Interview Survey Indonesia and United States Health, Education and Standard of Living. Alkire & Foster Multidimensional Poverty Method
A Comparison of Poverty According to Primary Goods, Capabilities and Outcomes. Evidence from French School Leavers’ Surveys Josiane Vero A comparison of poverty according to primary goods, capabilities and outcomes functionings secondary data micro CEREQ France Deprivation in refined functioning: labour market position, leisure, independence, debt Fuzzy set theory
Human Development: Beyond the HDI 2005 Ranis, Gustav & Stewart, Frances & Samman, Emma Exploring ways of enlarging the measurement and understanding of human development beyond the relatively reductionist Human Development Index
functionings secondary data macro Diverse sources world Health, education, income, mental well-being, empowerment, political freedom, social relations, community well-being, inequalities, work conditions, leisure conditions, dimensions of security – political, dimensions of security – economic, environmental c Correlations
Measuring gender inequality in functionings and capabilities: findings from the British Household Panel Survey Ingrid Robeyns Measuring gender inequality in functionings and capabilities using the British Household Panel Study functionings secondary data micro BHPS UK Life and physical health, mental well-being, bodily integrity and safety, social relations, education and knowledge, domestic work and non-market care, paid work and other projects, shelter and environment, mobility, leisure activities, religion Descriptive statistics, chi-squares tests, correlation, stochastic dominance
Going Beyond Functionings to Capabilities: An Econometric Model to Explain and Estimate Capabilities Jaya Krishnakumar Proposing a structural equation econometric model to measure and estimate capabilities through a latent variable modelling approach, taking account of the interdependencies among the different capability dimensions and the influence of exogenous social, institutional and demographic factors on them. Illustration using macro-economic data. capabilities, functionings secondary data macro UN 56 countries Health, knowledge, political freedom Structural equation model (SEM)
A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF WELL-BEING BASED ON SEN’S FUNCTIONING APPROACH ENRICA CHIAPPERO MARTINETTI functionings secondary data micro SHIW Italy Health, education, social relations, labour market, housing, household economic resources Sequential stochastic dominance, deprivation index, partial and complete ranking
Multidimensional Measures of Well-Being: Standard of Living and Quality of Life Across Countries Valérie Berenger, Audrey Verdier-Chouchane Measuring two components of well-being: standards of living and quality of life functionings secondary data macro UN & WB 170 countries For standards of living: standards of health, standards of education, material well-being. For quality of life: quality of health, quality of education, quality of environment Fuzzy set theory, factorial analysis of correspondence
On the Measurement of Human Well-Being: Fuzzy Set Theory and Sen’s Capability Approach Mina Baliamoune‐Lutz Proposing a framework that uses fuzzy set theory to measure human well-being according to the capability approach functionings secondary data macro UN Almost all countries Health, knowledge and freedom to communicate, income, freedom Fuzzy set theory, complete ranking
Fuzzy well-being in Pacific Asia Mina Baliamoune‐Lutz Developing a framework that uses fuzzy set theory to measure human
well-being
functionings secondary data macro UN 14 Pacific-Asian countries Health, education, income Fuzzy set theory
The Capability Approach: developing an instrument for evaluating public health interventions PK Lorgelly, K Lorimer, E Fenwick, AH Briggs Designing an ad hoc questionnaire for directly measuring the capability approach, and exploring its relation with life-satisfaction (happiness) capabilities, functionings, Subjective wellbeing primary data micro Ad hoc questionnaire UK Happiness, health, sense of achievement, personal projects, intellectual stimulation, social relations, environment Correlation and ordered logit regression
Monitoring Inequality among Social Groups: A Methodology Combining Fuzzy Set Theory and Principal Component Analysis Jose Manuel Roche functionings secondary data micro Venezuelan Household Survey Venezuela Three dimension of Housing Adequacy: Services, Structure, and Space and Density Principal Component Analysis, Fuzzy Set Theory, ANOVA
Capabilities and well-being: evidence based on the Sen-Nussbaum approach to welfare Paul Anand Graham Hunter Ron Smith Showing that secondary data source provides some information about capabilities, and that this can be incorporated into models of subjective well-being capabilities, functionings, Subjective wellbeing secondary data micro BHPS UK Bodily health, bodily integrity, sense, imagination and thought, emotions, practical reason, affiliation, play, satisfaction OLS regression analysis
1 FACTOR ANALYSIS VS. FUZZY SETS THEORY: ASSESSING THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES ON SEN’S FUNCTIONING APPROACH Sara Lelli Comparing the use of factor analysis with fuzzy set theory for the operationalization of the capability approach functionings secondary data micro PSBH Belgium Social interactions, cultural activities, economic conditions, health, psychological distress, working conditions, shelter Factor analysis fuzzy set theory
Debating Global Society Reach and Limits of the Capability Approach Enrica Chiappero-Martinetti and José Manuel Roche Comparison between ranking with empirical measures of functioning achievements and ranking with standard income-based measures functionings secondary data macro SHIW ISTAT Italian regions Health, education, employment, housing, safety, environment, income, social infrastructure Factor analysis, complete ranking
MEASURING POVERTY AND DEPRIVATION IN SOUTH AFRICA Stephen Klasen Comparison between a standard expenditure-based poverty measure and a specifically created composite measure of deprivation functionings secondary data micro SALDRU South Africa Education, income, wealth, housing, water, sanitation, energy, employment, transport, financial services, nutrition, health care, safety, perceived well-being Synthetic index score, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, principal component analysis, OLS regressions
A MULTIDIMENSIONAL ASSESSMENT OF WELL-BEING BASED ON SEN’S FUNCTIONING APPROACH ENRICA CHIAPPERO MARTINETTI functionings secondary data micro ISTAT Italy Fuzzy set theory, complete ranking
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