The Individual Deprivation Measure (IDM) is a gender-sensitive and multidimensional measure of poverty, assessed across 14 economic and social dimensions of deprivation, which was tested and refined in Indonesia and South Africa. I this seminar, I will introduce the IDM as an individual measure of multidimensional poverty, and provide highlights from the South African country study. The IDM data was collected from more than 8,500 individuals nationally, in 2019, and I will present data from a range of dimensions which illustrate how individual-level data enriches our understanding of multidimensional poverty, determine differences in its depth, and use the data to highlight some of the important differences in the experiences of men and women and across age groups. I will also discuss how the use of multidimensional measures can be used to better inform poverty reduction policies and programmes, and improve their effectiveness.

Helen Suich is an independent researcher, focusing largely on issues of poverty alleviation, rural development and natural resource management, and the design and evaluation of projects and programs designed to achieve these goals. Helen worked as a senior research fellow in the IDM programme at ANU, and led the IDM South Africa Country Study.