Identifying the Poor

An investigation into the problem of identifying the poor and determining the poverty line. The book focuses on one particular approach to the issue, where survey respondents are asked for their views, and outlines the four variants in the approach: the consensual income method; the consensual standard of living method; the income evaluation method; and the income satisfaction method. The book contains an extensive and thorough review of the theoretical and empirical literature, as well as rigorous analysis of survey data from Belgium. The result is a conclusive assessment of the validity and usefulness of the subjective and consensual approaches to poverty measurement.