A heterogeneidade de perfis de pobreza no Brasil: análise multidimensional com base na pesquisa de orçamentos familiares

Abstract

Although progress in fighting poverty in Brazil, from a monetary perspective, is well documented and evaluated by academia and government institutions, the understanding of this phenomenon has expanded over the years, increasingly incorporating multidimensional interpretations. Aiming to contribute to the literature on poverty from a multifaceted perspective, this study constructs a multidimensional poverty index for Brazil, grounded in the theoretical framework of Amartya Sen's capability approach, which interprets human development through the real freedoms enjoyed by individuals. To this end, the Alkire-Foster methodology is employed to generate a comprehensive index that incorporates as many variables as possible, as the goal is to capture the inherently diverse nature of this social phenomenon, particularly in a demographic context marked by heterogeneities and social disparities, as seen in Brazil. Additionally, to fill the gap in the Brazilian literature, which has few studies on multidimensional poverty incorporating consumption into their indices, this research utilizes data from the Household Budget Surveys (POF) for 2008/2009 and 2017/2018 to construct the indicator, which comprises dimensions such as housing conditions, access to basic services, financial inclusion, asset ownership, education, employment, and consumption. The multidimensional poverty index reveals different magnitudes of deprivation depending on the sociodemographic context in which the family is situated. The stratification of the results highlights the relevance of household location, race, and the age of the household head in determining the level of well-being. Furthermore, the study emphasizes the importance of factors related to educational attainment, type of occupation, and the structure of labor income generation within the household to explain the significance of each dimension in determining the degree of family poverty. Finally, the study reveals the existence of a multitude of poverty profiles in Brazil and shows an improvement over time in the indicators considered.