EuroEconomica, Vol 24, No 1 (2010)

Abstract

This paper is a contribution to the analysis of deprivation seen as a one-dimensional condition. A most useful tool for such analysis is to view deprivation as a matter of degree, giving a quantitative expression to its intensity for individuals. Such ‘fuzzy’ conceptualisation has been increasingly utilised in  poverty and deprivation research. This paper aims to further develop and refine this strand of research. The concern of the paper is primarily methodological rather than detailed numerical analysis from particular applications. We re-examine the two additional aspects introduced by the use of fuzzy (as distinct from the conventional poor/non-poor dichotomous) measures, namely: the choice of membership functions and the choice of rules for the manipulation of the resulting fuzzy sets, rules defining their intersection and averaging. The relationship of the proposed fuzzy monetary measure with the membership function and an estimate, by confidence interval, of the poverty line.