OPHI is a research center within Oxford University that focuses on measuring and analyzing multidimensional poverty and human development. It has a team of full-time researchers and collaborators around the world working on developing new methodologies to better capture missing dimensions of poverty in comparable cross-country data, including surveys in multiple countries. The goal is to help create demand and supply for better poverty data that policymakers can use to understand and reduce poverty from the perspectives of poor people.

1. OPHIOxford Poverty & Human Development InitiativeDepartment of International DevelopmentQueen Elizabeth House, University of Oxfordwww.ophi.org.uk OPHI: Our people, purpose & activities

2. Who we are: structure Advisors: Sudhir Anand, Tony Atkinson, Amartya Sen Management Committee: Valpy FitzGerald, Ian Goldin, John Hammock, Barbara Harriss-White Institutional location: A research centre within the Oxford Department of International Development, University of Oxford.

3. Who we are: people Full Time Staff: 7 Director + 4 post-docs Project Coordinator Research Communication Officer Others: Part-time Communications support Research Assistants & Students Visiting Students & Fellows, Research Associates,Collaborators, Volunteers, Supporters

4. Our priorities academic rigor practicality and policy relevance engagement with economics engagement of southern researchers co-ordination of research collegial relationships economics of well-being

5. OPHI’s current research Missing Dimensions Developing short modules for internationally comparable household surveys. Multidimensional (Poverty) Comparisons Developing new methodologies to measure and analyse multidimensional poverty Applying these to regions, countries, and sectors

6. Missing Dimensionsof Poverty dataHow can OPHI catalyze a process so more and better data are available?

7. The Problem of Missing Data Amartya Sen argues that development is the process of expanding the freedoms that people value and have reason to value. A critical bottleneck for empirical studies is the following: in key dimensions, internationally comparable data are missing. Creating more and better data is an investment in our future ability to understand and reduce poverty as poor people see it.

8. Goal: to see key variables side by side So we know who is deprived in what. MISSING DATA

9. Missing Dimensions of Poverty Data: Employmentdeprivation: oppressive, insecure and unsafe work Empowermentdeprivation: acting under force or compulsion Physical safety; deprivation: victim of violence or lethal violence Ability to go about without shame:deprivation: being stigmatized, humiliated, isolated Meaning & satisfaction:deprivation: alienation, unhappiness, dissatisfaction

10. Key Activities Piloted in Kenya, South Africa, Mexico, Philippines, China, Pakistan, Ecuador, Bolivia & the Czech Republic. Nationally representative sample in Chile completed. Small studies in Chad, Nigeria,Sri Lanka, Philippines, Bolivia, Tanzania, Latin America Preparing provincially representative survey in China Preparing nationally representative survey in Chad (tbc) Shared in S Africa, Korea, and other statistics meetings. Policy Workshops held in China and Uruguay

11. Our Aim: Next 2-3 years Complete 2-3 nationally representative surveys, to validate our modules in different contexts. Identify champion country statistics offices, who will gather and usethese data. Their voice can help to create Demand for data & policy analysis. Finalize, Launch, and Advocate optional modules in international surveys – and a set of key publications. These are needed to create the Supply and use of data.

12. Multidimensional (Poverty) ComparisonsHow can OPHI generate rigorous and user-friendly methodologies to measure and analyse multidimensional poverty and well-being?

13. Key Areas of Work AF methodology and further elaborations (std error etc) Empirical applications related to AF (country studies, applications to other topics, time series and panel data) MPI calculations 2010 and 2011; decompositions and dynamic analyses 2011; environmental analysis. Other measures – of chronic poverty, welfare, multidimensional poverty, inequality of opportunity Work on Dominance and Robustness of multidimensional poverty & welfare measures

14. Our Aim: Next 2-3 years Consolidate work on AF methodology in a textbook Focus on multidimensional poverty dynamics, weights, and links to welfare Continue to deepen work with global MPI and national applications; develop an international MPI for less poor countries.

15. UK March 2011: UNDP course for policy makers on measurement 44 people from 33 countries Chile December 2010: Spanish summer school 35+ from 9 countries Jordan September 2010: Summer school 36 people from 24 countries Peru September 2009: Summer school 38 people from 21 countries India September 2008: Summer school 37 people from 22 countries 15 Two-week intensive courses on measurement

16. Research workshops (1-2 per year) of 25 international experts on a narrowly defined topic. Working Papers published online (42 to date) Academic Publications in Journals, Special Issues, Books, etc Weekly Seminars in the University of Oxford Presentations at academic conferences internationally Teaching and Supervision of graduate students 16 Academic Activities

17. Launched in 2007, OPHI’s objective is to advance the human development approach to poverty reduction through fundamental, sustained, and multidisciplinary research that is effectively disseminated. Thank you from the OPHI team!