Hearing the voices of the poor: assigning poverty lines on the basis of local perceptions of poverty. A quantitative analysis of qualitative data from participatory wealth ranking in rural South Africa
Hargreaves, J.R.; Morison, L.A.; Gear, J.S.S.; Makhubele, M.B.; Porter, J.D.H.; Busza, J.; Watts, C.; Kim, J.C.; Pronyk, P.M.
World Development Oxford 35(2): 212-229
2007
DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2005.10.021Document Number: 199007
We applied a mixed-methods approach to participatory wealth ranking (PWR) to identify the number of poor households in eight villages of rural South Africa and describe how poor they are. We generated a household wealth index on the basis of the ranking process and statements made on standard of living. Descriptions from PWR identified households as "very poor," "poor, but a bit better off," or "doing OK." Of 9,671 households, 3,113 (32.2%) could be considered "very poor" or "poor." The paper presents a novel approach to wealth ranking that generates a rich appraisal of poverty.