Analytical foundations of Micro-Meso-Macro linkages in poverty monitoring: a case from Bangladesh

Abstract

Although there is a significant amount of research going on in the field of poverty monitoring in the entire South Asian region, there is still no uniform mechanism in poverty monitoring system that will track poverty both at micro and macro level, and establish linkages between these levels for successful policy implementation. This paper attempts to address issues related to linking poverty monitoring at different levels, and the theoretical foundations in establishing theses linkages within the context of current poverty monitoring strategies in Bangladesh. In doing so, it discusses various poverty monitoring systems and tools currently used in Bangladesh to monitor poverty at various levels. It also outlines the empirical relevance for establishing links between micro and macro aspects of poverty monitoring as well as their impacts on successful policy designing and implementation. Various state and non-state actors at different levels with differing objectives undertake poverty monitoring in Bangladesh, making it difficult to establish linkages among them. These different systems need to be coordinated and a comprehensive poverty monitoring system needs to be developed by combining the best approaches of poverty analysis at various levels.