Small area indices of multiple deprivation of South Africa

Abstract

Although the multidimensional nature of poverty has received increasingly prominent attention in academic and policy debate in South Africa during the last decade, there remain few existing attempts at moving beyond the conventional, unidimensional money-metric approach to poverty measurement. This paper provides an outline of the recent development and application of small area level indices of multiple deprivation for South Africa using census data. Multiple deprivation is defined as an accumulation of discrete dimensions of deprivation. The principles adopted in conceptualising the indices are described, together with a discussion of the results, ongoing processes of refinement, and the potential uses of these tools empirically and for policy making at both national and regional levels.