The first development goal for the millennium identified by the United Nations entails reducing by half, by the year 2015, the number the planet's inhabitants with an income lower than a dollar a day and the incidence of human beings who are afflicted by famine. How to identify poor people and how to measure poverty have become central topics in economic and political debate, and it is in this context that the notion of multidimensional poverty has been developed. Deprivation is now referred to a number of different life dimensions that are important for self-fulfilment. This approach means that the goal of reducing poverty must be linked to others, such as the elimination of gender inequality and the promotion of primary education. Poverty can thus manifest itself in various ways (for instance, in terms of both access to resources and freedom) and needs to be assessed accordingly. Human diversity requires differentiated policies to address the struggle against poverty.

Flavio Delbono teaches Political Economy at the University of Bologna and also teaches at the Johns Hopkins University.

Diego Lanzi teaches Political Economy at the University of Bologna.