Multidimensional poverty indicators in Brazil's Legal Amazon

Abstract

In public health research, socioeconomic indicators play a crucial role. They are essential for understanding the relation between poverty and health issues, as well as for allocating resources to public health infrastructure and providing appropriate treatments to the population. Traditionally, income has been the main indicator for measuring poverty, by establishing a poverty line that distinguishes those considered not poor or not vulnerable (above the line) from those categorized as poor or vulnerable (below the line). The one-dimensional analysis of poverty, however, shows limitations, particularly in regions with high epidemiological complexity and highly vulnerable populations, such as Brazil's Legal Amazon. This paper discusses and estimates a multidimensional approach to poverty in Brazil's Legal Amazon based on the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) according to the Alkire-Foster (2010) methodology. As a socioeconomic indicator, the MPI considers not only income, but also other indicators related to public health that affect the well-being of populations. The use of a multidimensional indicator allows a more complete understanding of socioeconomic and living conditions, facilitating the formulation of public policies. The results of the calculated indicator, MPI - Legal Amazon, show important differences in the characteristics of rural poverty, as well as in the intensity and incidence of this poverty, which are not identified by one-dimensional income indicators. The paper concludes that the multidimensional approach is key to address the complex issues of public health and socioeconomic development in the region.