Reply #1: It is tempting to dismiss this MPI index as ridiculous, but it's worth checking out the source [View All]

[gbscar]

Here is what the Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI), which developed the MPI index, has to say:

http://www.ophi.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Colombia.pdf

As you can see, the second page of the document has a chart showing how other countries measure under this new index, so comparatively speaking Colombia isn't exactly doing too well either. If the Colombian government ever boasts about its MPI, then it would be relatively easy to reply by simply pointing at those of its neighbors, such as Ecuador.

But interestingly enough, the above document was published in mid-2010. The article seems to suggest it would be a rather recent development dating from this year, when in fact it appears to be slightly older. In fact, you need to scroll down to the bottom of The Guardian's piece in order to see a vague general reference to how the concept of MPI as a whole dates from 2010.

Curiously, the current Colombian administration seems to be using a different index altogether instead of the OPHI's MPI. See below for the most recent report from earlier this month:

"Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said the government’s poverty reduction goals will remain the same despite revised poverty figures.

The Department of National Planning announced the number of Colombians living below the poverty line dropped from 45.5% to 40.2% due to new assessment methods that take into account access to basic necessities like health, education, and food."

http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/18539-govt-to-retain-poverty-goals-despite-reduction.html

Yet, after reading the original source in Spanish, it seems this 40% figure was measured using new methodology with some help from Oxford too, but it's clearly different from outright adopting the MPI. It doesn't seem like The Guardian's piece took that into consideration though.

"El nuevo índice, que fue elaborado por expertos internacionales de la universidad de Oxford, también revisa si hay o no acceso a servicios públicos o infraestructura.·"

http://caracol.com.co/nota.aspx?id=1536653

At the same time, this discussion is mostly academic. What matters, in my opinion, isn't throwing around different statistics or having a deep methodological discussion but the reality that millions of Colombian have to live on a daily basis. We can always adopt this or that methodology but until Colombia sees real reductions not just in poverty but inequality itself, then little or nothing has been gained despite all these good intentions.