Assessing Multidimensional Poverty Index in Coastal Regions: Implications for the Makran Region of Iran

Abstract

The Global Multi-Dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) was developed in 2010 and used health, education and standard of living indicators to determine the incidence and intensity of poverty experienced by a population. While the MPI is a global index, the method is flexible and can be modified to best suit the environment or target groups. Coastal regions are one of the most critical areas that require modified MPI, since their complex structures are constantly subjected to natural and human changes that affect the living conditions of residents. What is lost in using the global MPI for poverty assessment in coastal communities is the lack of attention to contextual characteristics and, subsequently, missing various multi-aspect indicators in different natures and scales. This paper reviews the MPI and tries to expand the model based on the indicators of marine development approaches for the Makran coastal region as the case study. Overall, this review draws attention to social, natural, and financial capitals that have not conventionally been incorporated into the MPI model. According to the proposed model, although the Makran region has made slight progress in poverty reduction based on the general MPI index under the influence of development plans and various drivers during a ten-year period, it is severely impoverished in social, financial, and natural indicators presented by the expanded model. This difference shows the importance of using the developed model to enhance assessment accuracy and recommends a combination of five main poverty-related dimensions for poverty alleviation policies and evaluation processes in coastal regions.