ESSAYS ON MULTIDIMENSIONAL POVERTY IN THE SEMI-ARID NORTHEAST: A CENSUS-BASED STUDY FOR THE YEARS 2000, 2010, AND 2022
Multidimensional Poverty; Semiárido Nordestino; Demographic Analysis.
This doctoral thesis aims to understand how multidimensional poverty manifests itself in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil over three decades, using demography to provide a comprehensive analysis and identify patterns and trends over time. The thesis is structured into three distinct essays that address poverty from different perspectives: municipal, familial, and individual. The first essay investigates the distribution of poverty in the municipalities of the semi-arid region, focusing on the concentration and dispersion of poverty in relation to population size. The second essay analyzes family arrangements classified as poor, identifying their characteristics and possible changes in family structures over time. The third essay outlines the sociodemographic and socioeconomic profile of poor individuals living in the region, providing a detailed view of their living conditions. Demography is used as an essential tool to integrate different levels of analysis, from individual characteristics to public policies that impact poverty. Demographic analysis allows for the identification not only of the factors contributing to poverty but also of possible solutions that consider the specific needs and realities of communities in the semi-arid Northeast. The data sources used are the microdata from the 2000, 2010, and 2022 Census, while the methodologies applied include spatial analyses, descriptive statistics, and multidimensional methods, such as Fuzzy Sets and the Alkire-Foster method, to provide a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of poverty over the three decades analyzed.