Statistics Seminar: "Measuring Poverty"

Abstract: The development of any measure, particularly an official one, is a mixture of ideology, convenience, and chance.  To illustrate this, I will use poverty measurement as an example.  The primary choice in measuring poverty is between taking an absolute versus a relative approach.  The former is favored by the U.S. whereas the latter is preferred by the European Union.  In this talk, I will compare various measures (with a focus on the U.S.) using a historical perspective to understand the effects of those statistics on a country’s residents.

Host: Todd Kuffner