Índice de pobreza multidimensional e focalização do Programa Bolsa Família nos estados do Nordeste em 2010

Abstract

This work aims essentially to discuss Multidimensional Poverty and investigate whether Bolsa Família (a cash transfer program instituted by the government of Brazil) could be better targeted by proxy means test than the currency method. The task of identifying people who are considered multidimensional poor was based on the Capability Approach proposed by Sen (2000), who defines poverty as the privation of capabilities instead of establishment of a poverty line. The methodology was based on the research from Alkire and Foster (2009), and it was applied for the Northeast States of Brazil, with data from Censo Demográfico of 2010 elaborated by Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística. Moreover, for the same data, indices from Anuatti, Fernandes and Pazello (2001) were used with the propose of clarifying the relation between Bolsa Família and poverty throughout the states. The Multidimensional Poverty Index of this work took into account the dimensions of health, education, standard of living and income. It was founded that the states of Alagoas, Maranhão, Paraíba and Piauí have higher incidence of multidimensional poverty in comparison with monetary poverty, ranging from 31.61% in Paraíba to 45.88% in Maranhão. Still, it was noted that if the multidimensional criteria was applied in 2010 for these states, the number of beneficiaries would decrease in most of them, except in Maranhão, Piuaí and Alagoas, where the number would increase. The results suggested that proxy means test is a possible alternative for the program.