Urban poverty in developing Asia—dichotomy between the income and non-income dimensions: Are we not grossly underestimating its incidence?

Abstract

This paper looks at the acute non-income deprivations visible in urban developing Asia, drawing upon various evidences to drive home the point that if we just look at the income poverty in urban Asia, we are ignoring many critical dimensions of urban poverty. There are evidences to prove that there is a stark dichotomy between the income and non-income indicators of urban poverty and a gross underestimation of urban poverty in developing Asia. There is, thus, a need to broaden the definition of urban poverty in developing Asia (and, in fact, the world over), beyond just the austere threshold of meeting the survival needs of food (nutrition), to one that includes a minimal set of basic needs and capabilities for the urban population. Such an approach should take into account the huge deprivations related to shelter, access to basic infrastructure, access to health, education and social welfare, vulnerability in working conditions and working poverty. Adopting broadened and higher poverty thresholds that would faithfully report urban poverty, however, is only the initial step in the formulation of a forward-looking urban poverty reduction strategy for developing Asia. But it is an important first step as it is critical for focusing policy attention on the right target group.