Syllabus

Unit 1: Conceptual dimensions of poverty welfarist (utility , income) and non-welfarist (basic needs, human development and capability) approaches deprivation and human development absolute and relative poverty measures notions of chronic poverty and socio-economic vulnerability with particular emphasis given to the role of health functioning and capability deprivation

Unit 2: Inequity vs. Inequality Inequality measurement: Lorenz curve, Gini index, concentration index Economic inequalities in India measuring international and global inequality: unweighted international inequality, population-weighted international inequality, true world income distribution Basic problem in inequality measurement

Unit 3: The economic growth, poverty and inequality triangle the inverted U hypothesis income and inequality: uneven and compensatory changes Inequality, saving, income and growth Inequality and Growth: Evidence Inequality and demand composition Inequality, capital market and development, decomposition of socio-economic inequality

Unit 4: Measurement of Human Development Index (HDI), Gender-related Development Index (GDI), Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM), Human Poverty Index (HPI) , Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

This course aims at equipping students with the technical and substantive dimensions of various measures of poverty, inequality and human development.

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
1. Describe the theoretical and technical aspects of poverty measurement at the global and national level.
2. Understand equity and inequality and its linkage with the process of development.
3. Examine the linkage between economic growth, poverty and inequality.
4. Understand and estimate various composite development indicators like HDI, GDI, and MPI.

Debraj Ray, Development Economics, , Oxford University Press, 2009

Sen, A. K., On Economic Inequality, Oxford University Press, Oxford

Foster, J. E. (2006), ‘Inequality Measurement’, in D. Clark (ed.) The Elgar Companion to Development Studies, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham

Anand, S. and Sen, A, ‘Concepts of human development and poverty: A multidimensional perspective’, Human Development Papers,, UNDP, New York

United Nations Development Programme (2019). Human Development Report 2019: Beyond income, beyond averages, beyond today: Inequalities in human development in the 21st century

Alkire, S. (2002) ‘Dimensions of human development’, World Development, vol 30, no 2, pp181–205