Fordham's Pope Francis Global Poverty Index
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FORDHAM | IPED GRADUATE PROGRAM IN INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL ECONOMY AND DEVELOPMENT 2016 FORDHAM UNIVERSITY FFORDHAMORDHAM’’SS PPOPEOPE FFRANCISRANCIS GLOBAL POVERTY INDEX GLOBAL POVERTY INDEX 1 “To enable these real men and women to escape from extreme poverty, we must allow them to be digniied agents of their own destiny. At the same time, government leaders must do everything possible to ensure that all can have the minimum spiritual and material means needed to live in dignity. In practical terms, this absolute minimum has three names: lodging, labour, and land; and one spiritual name: spiritual freedom, which in- cludes religious freedom, the right to education and other civil rights.” -- Pope Francis in his Address to the United Na- tions on September 25, 2015 2 Photo Credit: UN Photo / Cia P 3 Photo Credit: UN Photo / Cia Pak Pak 4 About the Logo: The logo illustrates the seven primary elements that are consid‐ ered in the Fordham Francis Index. The four elements on the le side represent the Material Well‐being components: Water, Food, Housing and Employment. The remaining three on the right side comprise the Spiritual Wellbeing components: Educa‐ on, Gender Equity, and Religious Freedom. Copyright © 2016 by Fordham University’s Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development 441 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458, USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission. 5 2016 Fordham University Graduate Program in International Political Economy and Development FORDHAM’S POPE FRANCIS GLOBAL POVERTY INDEX ABSTRACT: The Fordham Francis Index (FFI) is a simple, broad, and innovative international poverty measurement tool derived from a set of primary indicators identified by Pope Francis during his 2015 address to the UN General Assembly. Pope Francis identified seven primary indicators that measure both material wellbeing as well as spiritual wellbeing. The primary indicators of basic material wellbeing are water, food, housing, and employment. The primary indicators of basic spiritual wellbeing are education, gender equity, and religious freedom. The Fordham Francis Index (FFI) is simple be- cause it is based on a small number of only seven indicators. It is, nonetheless, a broad poverty measure because these few primary indicators, especially access to clean water, are strongly correlated with a large number of key measures of both material and spiritual human wellbeing. The Fordham Francis Index (FFI) is also innovative. It distinguishes itself from other standard poverty measures because of its explicit emphasis on spiritual well-being and in particular its focus on reli- gious freedom. It also differentiates itself from other measures of development by its emphasis on meeting the basic needs of the poor. Moving forward in the future, Fordham researchers will attempt to utilize additional sources of data to in- crease national coverage, further confirm the statistical relationship between Pope Francis’ seven primary indicators and the more than 100 targets being developed to measure the achievement of the new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In future iterations of the Fordham Francis Index (FFI), we will also need to incorporate more independent measures of gender equity and basic housing. Our present indicator of gender equity is too closely related to our measure of education, while our current indicator of housing quality is too closely related to our measure of clean water. Properly used, the Fordham Francis Index (FFI) can verify the success of a nation in safeguarding the human dignity of its people by providing basic human needs and by protecting basic human freedoms. 6 Fordham’s Pope Francis Global Poverty Index Introducon ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1 Pope Francis’ Primary Indicators ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3 Material Wellbeing Indicators ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4 Water ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Food …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Housing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 7 Employment ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 8 Spiritual Wellbeing Indicators …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 Educaon …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10 Gender ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 Religious Freedom ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 13 Correlaon Matrix ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 16 Fordham Francis Index ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 17 Material Wellbeing Index …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 Spiritual Wellbeing Index ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 21 Fordham’s Pope Francis Global Poverty Index ……………………………………………………………………………………………. 24 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 27 Appendices ……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..…………………………… 28 Appendix A: Variable Definions ……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..………………….. 28 Appendix B: Outliers from Regression of Fordham Francis Index on Human Development Index ………………. 30 Appendix C: Outliers from Regression of Fordham Francis Index on Logarithm of Gross Domesc Product 31 per capita Appendix D: Areas of Deprivaon ……………………………..……………………………..…………………………..…………………. 32 Appendix E: Fordham Francis Index Country Rankings ……………………………..……………………………..………………. 33 Data Sources ……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..………………………. 36 Research Team …………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………………………..……………………... 37 7 8 INTRODUCTION ordham University’s Pope Francis Global targets of the Sustainable Development Goals Poverty Index (FFI) offers a simple, (SDGs) into the fundamental needs of a human broad and innovative international pov- person, Pope Francis attempted to outline the basic erty measurement tool. It is simple be- material and spiritual dimensions needed to uphold Fcause it is built on only seven indicators of human human dignity and to ensure that integral human wellbeing identified by Pope Francis. It is broad development enables the marginalized to live with because these seven indicators are highly correlated dignity and the capacity for self-determination. with many other measures of integral human devel- During his speech Pope Francis argued that we opment. And finally, the Fordham Francis Index must possess simple technical instruments of verifi- (FFI) is innovative for two reasons. First, com- cation to ensure that our institutions are truly effec- pared to traditional measures of economic wellbeing tive in the struggle against poverty, and that our po- or even broader measures of human wellbeing such litical and economic activities successfully promote as the UN’s Human Development Index (HDI), the justice and that we maintain the constant will to ren- Fordham Francis Index (FFI) places a higher em- der to each person what is due to them. Currently, phasis on satisfying the basic needs of the poor. there is still systematic exclusion towards the weak Second, in addition to its emphasis on meeting the and disadvantaged, against those who lack adequate basic needs of the poor, the Fordham Francis Index (FFI) argues that political freedoms, and in particu- lar religious freedom, are a basic component of hu- man wellbeing. Political freedoms such as religious freedom have been traditionally ignored in previous measures of poverty. But this emphasis on the po- litical rights of the poor, such as religious freedom, is consistent with Pope Francis’ insistence that the poor be “dignified agents of their own destiny.” The Fordham Francis Index (FFI) was inspired by the address of His Holiness Pope Francis to the United Nations General Assembly last September 2015, during the launch of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Distilling the 169 1 capabilities and opportunities. He deems this exclu- In the next section of this report we will review Pope sion to be a serious denial of human fraternity and a Francis’ seven primary indicators of material and spir- grave offense against human rights. In reading the itual wellbeing. In order to make the case that the Pope’s speech, one gets the sense that Pope Francis Fordham Francis Index (FFI) is broad, we will esti- sees the development of simple technical instruments mate the statistical correlations between these primary of verification like the Fordham Francis Index (FFI) indicators and other important indicators of integral as a way to empower civil society to fulfill its over- human development. Following that review we will sight responsibilities, namely to monitor, review and aggregate these seven primary indictors into two inter- supervise the efforts of national and international national indices of material and spiritual wellbeing. In governmental agencies as well as other national and turn we will aggregate these two indices of material international actors to promote integral human devel- and spiritual wellbeing into the Fordham Francis In- opment through the proper attainment of the UN dex (FFI). To make the case that the Fordham Fran- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). cis Index (FFI) is innovative, we will compare it with a traditional measure of economic wellbeing as well as with a broad measure of human wellbeing.