An assessment of multidimensional urban poverty in Vietnam central cities

Abstract

Cross section data from the Vietnam Household Living Standard Survey 2008 (VHLSS2008) was used to estimate multidimensional poverty in five urban central cities (Ha Noi, Hai Phong, Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh, and Can Tho) in Viet Nam following the methodology developed by Alkire & Santos (2010). Five dimensions of poverty were considered in the study including education, health, standard of living, economic well-being, and employment labor. The findings show that multidimensional poverty is significantly high in central cities, especially in Ho Chi Minh City. The multidimensional poor suffer from the high deprivation intensity of indicators as type of dwelling, underemployment, housing space, and working time. Moreover, five urban central cities present non-depreciable level of deprivation in electricity. Under-employment deprivation significantly increases its contribution as it receives a higher weight in the estimation. The study highlights the potential application of the methodology for national poverty measurement at multidimensional level as well as a tool for state budget allocation.