The Law on social development and the introduction of multidimensional poverty, CONEVAL (Mexico). Dr. Ricardo Aparicio, Deputy Director General.

1. The Law on Social Development and the
Introduction of Multidimensional Poverty
in Mexico
“Institutional Frameworks for Social Equity Monitoring
and Improving the Effectiveness of Public Policies in
Promoting Equity”
Ricardo Aparicio
Algeria
December 15-16, 2014

2. Social Rights in Social Inclusion
Social
Inclusion
Human
Rights
Human
Develop-
ment
United
Nations
Charter
Amartya
Sen
Universality
Progressivity
Indivisibility
Human Rights
Principles

3. Background
20041917
Mexico
First country that included Social Rights in the Political Constitution
Political
Constitution
-Social Development Law (SDL)
-Multidimensional official measurement
-National Council of Evaluation of Social
Development Policy (CONEVAL)

4. Social Development Law
Social
Development
Law
(SDL)
It affirms Human
Rights established
in the
constitution
It mandates an
official poverty
measure with a
multidimensional
approach
It institutionalizes
the evaluation of
social programs
(promotes evaluation
culture)
It mandates the
production of
information for
monitoring and
evaluating progress in
social policy

5. CONEVAL Functions
SDL creates CONEVAL, with two principal attributions:
The social
development
policy evaluation
The poverty
measurement with a
multidimensional
approach

6. What is CONEVAL?
6 Academic ResearchersExecutive
Secretary
• Public institution with technical authonomy:
• It measures poverty in a multidimensional way at national, state
and municipality levels
• It sets out norms and coordinates evaluation of the policy and
programs of social development

7. Mexico’s Legal Framework of the Law for Social Development
Rights for
Social
Development
Education
Health
Social
security
Food Housing
Work
Healthy
environ-
ment
Non
discrimi-
nation
“To guarantee full exercise of the social rights stablished in the Constitution,
granting access to social development to the whole population”
Constitutional Reforms on Human Rights, 2011

8. CONEVAL adopts human rights approach
A dignified life means that people bear
universal, inalienable and unrenounceable
rights
Freedom is fundamental
Everyone has the right to an adequate
standard of living
There are non-monetary attributes that
cannot be bought through markets
Non-discrimination and equality
People rights to participate actively in
public and democratic processes
Its implementation requires a system of
transparency and accountability
People empowerment to legally enforce
their rights

9. A multidimensional methodology for measuring poverty…
Why?
What
for?
 To move towards a system of integrated
social development, based on human
rights
 To follow up all the different
dimensions that affect social
development, not just income
 Social development and poverty are
multidimensional
 Income is important but is far from being
enough

10. A multidimensional methodology for measuring poverty…
What
are the
benefits?
 Identifies the dimensions and
subgroups that social policy
should focus on the first place
 Need to apply:
Economic and social policies
Universal and targeted policies
Complementary rather than isolated
actions

11. Multidimensional Poverty in Mexico
Access to
food
Housing
quality
and
spaces
Access to
basic
services of
housing
Social
cohesion
grade
Dimensions of poverty
(SDL: Article 36)
Educational
gap
Access to
health
services
Access to
social
security
Income
Periodicity
States: 2 years
Municipalities: 5 years
Information of INEGI*
* Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía

12. Meaning of overcoming poverty for people’s lives
Educational
gap
Income
Access to
food
Access to
basic services
of housing
Housing
quality and
spaces
Access
to health
services
Access to
social
security
Well-paid jobs
with social
benefits
Enough food
for everybody
(quantity, quality
and variety)
Water, drainage,
electricity and
right conditions
for cooking
Enough space for
household members
and suitable materials
for habitability
(ceilings, walls,
floors)
Formal
employment and
protection from
accidents, diseases
or stages of the life
cycle (pregnancy,
elderlies)
Entitlement
to health care
School
attendance and
universal basic
education
Complementary
indicators

13. How is the official methodology?
Territorial
Social Rights
Social deprivation
Population
Mexico
Well-being
Income
Per capita current income
Social cohesion grade
• Education
• Health
• Social security
• Housing
• Basic services
• Feed03 2 1456

14. Multidimensional Poverty in Mexico
Social rights
Social deprivations
EWL
03
Vulnerable
by social
deprivation
Vulnerable
by income
5 24 16
Not poor
and not
vulnerable
Poor
Well-being
Income
Figure 1
Social rights
Social deprivations
EWL
035 24 16
MWL
Extreme
poverty
Moderate poverty
Figure 2
A person is considered poor if she has an insufficient income for meeting her
food and non-food needs and she has at least one social deprivation
A person is considered extreme poor if she has an insufficient income for
meeting her food needs and she has at least three social deprivations

15. Multidimensional measurement: properties
Dimension
decomposability
1
Population groups
decomposability
2
Comparability across
time
3
Identification of priority
population groups

16. ¡Merci!
Thank you!
¡Gracias!

17. Contact information
Ricardo Aparicio
Director, Poverty Analysis
rcaparicio@coneval.gob.mx
Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social
(CONEVAL)
Boulevard Adolfo López Mateos No.160. Coll. San Ángel Inn,
Delegación Álvaro Obregón, C.P. 01060, México, D.F
www.coneval.gob.mx