Multidimensional Poverty and Vulnerability in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu

This paper draws on a recent household survey to examine the incidence and depth of poverty in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It replicates the Multidimensional Poverty Index recently developed by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative. This represents the first time that the Multidimensional Poverty Index is calculated for the Solomon Islands and the first time that it is reported in either country at a sub-national level. The paper proceeds by tailoring the Multidimensional Poverty Index to become more appropriate to the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. An additional, new, dimension of welfare is introduced to capture household access to productive gardens, basic services, and social support. Results indicate that rates of poverty vary greatly across location with the highest found in urban communities, as well as in remote locations. In addition to high rates of poverty, a large proportion of the population in these countries is close to the poverty threshold and therefore vulnerable to experiencing poverty. Paper presented at the Oceania Development Network’s Conference on “Addressing Inequality and Promoting Inclusive and Sustainable Development”, Suva, September 2013. The paper is based on Clarke, M, Feeny, S and L. McDonald (2013), Vulnerability to What? Multidimensional Poverty in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, in Feeny, S. (ed.) (2014), Household Vulnerability and Resilience: Findings from Melanesia, Ashgate Publishing, UK [forthcoming].