Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative
The Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI) is an economic research centre within the Oxford Department of International Development at the University of Oxford, England, that was established in 2007.[1]
Abbreviation
OPHI
1 May 2007
Initiative
Human development economic research centre
Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative
OPHI's advisory committee: Sudhir Anand, Tony Atkinson Amartya Sen and Frances Stewart
History[edit]
The centre was established in 2007.[2] In 2010, OPHI developed the Multidimensional Poverty Index for the United Nations Development Programme's Human Development Report.[3] Since then OPHI has published a Global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) annually. OPHI also serves as the Secretariat of the Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (MPPN), a South-South initiative that supports policymakers to develop multidimensional poverty measures. It promotes the use of such measures for more effective poverty eradication efforts at the global, national and local levels.
OPHI aims to build and advance a more systematic methodological and economic framework for reducing multidimensional poverty, grounded in people's experiences and values. OPHI works towards this by:[4]
OPHI's work is grounded in Amartya Sen's capability approach.[5] OPHI works to implement this approach by creating real tools that inform policies to reduce poverty.
OPHI's team members are involved in a wide range of activities and collaborations around the world, including survey design and testing, quantitative and qualitative data collection, training and mentoring, and advising policy makers.
As per OPHI, if a person is deprived in at least one third of the weighted Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) indicators, globally, they are considered multidimensionally poor.[6]