In this, his final book, economist Anthony Atkinson, one of the world’s great social scientists and a pioneer in the study of poverty and inequality, offers an inspiring analysis of a central question: What is poverty and how much of it is there around the globe? The persistence of poverty—in rich and poor countries alike—is one of the most serious problems facing humanity. Better measurement of poverty is essential for raising awareness, motivating action, designing good policy, gauging progress, and holding political leaders accountable for meeting targets. To help make this possible, Atkinson provides a critically important examination of how poverty is—and should be—measured.
Bringing together evidence about the nature and extent of poverty across the world and including case studies of sixty countries, Atkinson addresses both financial poverty and other indicators of deprivation. He starts from first principles about the meaning of poverty, translates these into concrete measures, and analyzes the data to which the measures can be applied. Crucially, he integrates international organizations’ measurements of poverty with countries’ own national analyses.
Atkinson died before he was able to complete the book, but at his request it was edited for publication by two of his colleagues, John Micklewright and Andrea Brandolini. In addition, François Bourguignon and Nicholas Stern provide afterwords that address key issues from the unfinished chapters: how poverty relates to growth, inequality, and climate change.
The result is an essential contribution to efforts to alleviate poverty around the world.
Awards and Recognition
- One of Prospect's Best Economics Books of 2019
"[Measuring Poverty around the World] advocates more sophisticated ways of monitoring progress—and regression—in reducing poverty. That way, when having political discussions, we know exactly what we’re talking about."—Prospect
"[Atkinson] is clear about the links between poverty and sustainable development, the two creating a vicious circle of damage and deprivation."—Liz Thomson, i Newspaper
"[Measuring Poverty around the World] is written for a broad audience, and it deserves such an audience.... In the struggle ahead to assure that progress against poverty is maintained and hopefully accelerated, the type of intellectually honest, scholarly yet socially committed, research exemplified by Tony Atkinson throughout his career will be needed in spades."—Martin Ravallion, Journal of Economic Inequality
"This book demonstrates the strength of Atkinson’s legacy for future generations of poverty scholars and underscores how the centrality of poverty to the political debate makes its measurement both a vital and delicate task."—Roberto Iacono, LSE Review of Books
"Tony Atkinson’s extraordinary attention to detail for every element in measuring poverty should make it a bible for all those in every country dealing with the measurement of poverty and formulating policies for its reduction."—Madras Sivaraman, International Journal of Environmental Studies
"Atkinson's work is hugely instructive."—Udit Misra, Indian Express
"In a rapidly changing world, with ever mounting global problems, researchers would do well to follow Atkinson’s socially conscious, ethically informed, and policy relevant approach to research and problem solving."—Brian Colgan, Erasmus Journal for Philosophy and Economics
"An excellent introduction to the most important issues in the measurement of poverty."—Economics & Philosophy
"Tony Atkinson did everything he thought he should do to help others and to help the world, while being robustly engaged in solving the problems that could tempt and engage an outstanding economist. The impact of his contribution to economics can be seen in a great many different areas in the subject, but our understanding of poverty and inequality in particular has been totally transformed by his foundational work."—Amartya Sen, Harvard University, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics
"This is an important and much-needed book. While poverty has fallen around the world, it is still far too high. If, like Tony Atkinson, you believe we can and must do better, this is essential reading."—Thomas Piketty, author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century
"This is a sweeping discussion of poverty, in all its dimensions and across all types of countries. If you want to know more about poverty anywhere in the world, read this book. As always, Atkinson is precise in his thinking, clear in his use of numbers, and wise in his discussion of the moral and political dimensions of poverty. It’s a fitting finale to his lifework and reminds us of how much we have lost with his passing."—Rebecca Blank, Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
