The central aim of this thesis is to examine the multiple dimensions of poverty, using the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS, 2008 and 2011) for the Punjab province of Pakistan. The thesis is based on three core chapters, with a focus on the measurement and determinants (particularly household size) of poverty. Chapter 3 calculates and analyses the multidimensional poverty index (MPI) developed by Alkire and Foster (2007) and the destitution measure (strict subset of the MPI), using health, education and standard of living dimensions for 2011. Chapter 4 extends the multidimensional poverty framework to a multi-period context by investigating the changes in the MPI and destitution measure from 2008 to 2011, and it contributes to the literature by assessing the impact of the severe 2010 floods on poverty. Applying probit and IV-probit methodologies on MICS 2008 data, Chapter 5 examines the complex and largely unexplored relationship between household size and poverty (income, child health and education), and highlights other important poverty determinants.

The key results for 2011 illustrate that rural South Punjab experienced considerably greater deprivation than the urban North, that almost half of the MPI poor households were also destitute, and that the ‘years of schooling’ indicator was the highest contributor to both MPI and destitution, reflecting the dire state of education in Punjab. The intertemporal results indicate that the MPI increased from 2008 to 2011, with an intensification of poverty for rural households, especially in the flood-affected zones. Providing a micro lens for viewing deprivation, the destitution results showed that households in many districts and towns graduated into the less extreme form of multidimensional poverty. The econometric results of Chapter 5 show that larger households experienced lesser income and education poverty when endogeneity was controlled for, but household size was not a significant determinant of child health deprivation. No clear causal link could be established among the different poverty dimensions and household size. The results of this thesis paint a comprehensive and dynamic regional picture of the various dimensions of poverty in Punjab, providing policymakers insights for formulating targeted poverty reduction strategies.