Identifying the Poorest of the Poor in Indonesia: Towards a Conceptual Framework
Iyanatul Islam
Abstract
This paper analyses alternative methods of identifying the ‘poorest of the poor’ in Indonesian society. Core conceptual issues are first explained to highlight the evolving nature of an understanding of poverty. These include considering the issue in terms of capability deprivation, vulnerability and the political and institutional dimensions of poverty. These ideas are then investigated in the Indonesian context using a range of empirical illustrations. Finally the different strands of the discussion are unified to offer recommendations to policy-makers and statistical agencies on guiding principles for effective identification of the ‘poorest of the poor’. Future work will focus on the policy and operational implications of such methods of measurement.
The
purpose of this paper is to identify the nature of these concerns and
to find mechanisms that the donor community could employ to respond
creatively to the challenges that are likely to emerge in this domain.
