The Measurement of Multidimensional Povertyin Tehran

The measurement of multidimensional poverty in 22 districts of Tehran is the main goal of this research. Studying human deprivation regarding basic needs i.e. health, nutrition, education and political freedom seems essential due to existing shortcomings of income-based poverty measurement approach. Here, we measure multidimensional poverty in terms of four attributes (income, housing, education and public health) using information theory approach developed by Maasoumi and Logo(2006) model. First, we calculate single-dimensional poverty based on each attribute. Then, according to difference in levels of substitutability among attributes we measure the absolute poverty using aggregate poverty line approach. The results show that the poorest districts of Tehran are district 19 in terms of income approach and districts 19 and 17 in terms of education and housing, respectively. The worst situation regarding public health belongs to district 16. The highest and the lowest multidimensional poverty rate were observed in districts 4 and 1 respectively. Furthermore, if substitution coefficient among attributes increases, then the multidimensional poverty rate will decrease. About 63 percent of Tehran population is of relative deprivation.