Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

The definition and application of the new SDG’s 1.1 and 1.2 require explicitly for child poverty and deprivation indicators to be identified and used; this development is a challenge and an opportunity to advance innovations in using child indicators taking into consideration the local context.

The post-2015 development agenda as anchored by the SDGs broadly aims to eradicate poverty for all, reduce inequalities and extend the benefits of sustainable economic development to all, including the poorest and most vulnerable members of society, especially children. The Sustainable Development Goals 1.1 and 1.2 set development challenges in terms of poverty. Focussing on children’s wellbeing in poverty research requires measuring child monetary poverty (SDG 1.1) and child multidimensional (or non-monetary) poverty (SDG 1.2). The former has a long tradition measuring child poverty as the absolute number (or the percentage) of children living in families below the poverty line in a country or a region. Measuring multidimensional poverty (SDG 1.2), however, is less well developed especially when children are concerned. This paper discusses the data- and indicator selection needed to measure multidimensional poverty among children. It reviews the very recent practices in this research area and provides empirical examples of how child multidimensional poverty is used to monitor SDG 1.1 and 1.2 for children.