Working Papers
A Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Vulnerability to Poverty of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon
No.
1472
Publisher
ERF
Date
April, 2021
Topic
H1. Structure and Scope of Government
O5. Economywide Country Studies
I3. Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty
O1. Economic Development
This study uses vulnerability assessment data collected by the UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF from Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a country that hosts an estimated 1.5 million refugees from neighboring Syria and the highest per capita proportion of refugees in the world. The data are used to construct a multidimensional livelihood index (MLI) to identify refugee households who are currently poor. The MLI is then used to assess households’ vulnerability to future poverty using a 3-stage Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) model. Our findings support the view that poverty is a dynamic phenomenon and not a static condition. The analysis allows us to identify more clearly which households and geographical locations are more vulnerable to experiencing prolonged poverty. This study is among the first to adapt the multidimensional poverty framework
to the context of protracted forced displacement. It does this using a forward-looking approach to identify who, where, and how to target humanitarian assistance and development interventions more optimally, to prevent rather than simply alleviate immediate poverty.
Authors
Angela C. Lyons
Associate Professor, Department of Agricultural and Consumer...
Research Associates
Josephine Kass-Hanna
Assistant Professor, IESEG School of Management, France
Authors
Alejandro Montoya Castano
Advisor for the Colombian Directorate of Taxes...