A Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Vulnerability to Poverty of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon

Economic Research Forum Working Paper No. 1472

46 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2021 Last revised: 8 Mar 2023

See all articles by Angela Lyons

Angela Lyons

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Josephine Kass-Hanna

IESEG School of Management

Alejandro Montoya Castano

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Date Written: April 1, 2021

Abstract

This study uses vulnerability assessment data collected by the UNHCR, WFP, and UNICEF from Syrian refugees in Lebanon, a country that hosts an estimated 1.5 million refugees from neighboring Syria and the highest per capita proportion of refugees in the world. The data are used to construct a multidimensional livelihood index (MLI) to identify refugee households who are currently poor. The MLI is then used to assess households’ vulnerability to future poverty using a 3-stage Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) model. Our findings support the view that poverty is a dynamic phenomenon and not a static condition. The analysis allows us to identify more clearly which households and geographical locations are more vulnerable to experiencing prolonged poverty. This study is among the first to adapt the multidimensional poverty framework to the context of protracted forced displacement. It does this using a forward-looking approach to identify who, where, and how to target humanitarian assistance and development interventions more optimally, to prevent rather than simply alleviate immediate poverty.

Keywords: multidimensional poverty, poverty measurement, vulnerability, economic livelihoods, refugees, humanitarian assistance, Middle East, North Africa

JEL Classification: I3, I32, I38, O1, O53, R23, H1

Suggested Citation

Lyons, Angela and Kass-Hanna, Josephine and Montoya Castano, Alejandro, A Multidimensional Approach to Measuring Vulnerability to Poverty of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (April 1, 2021). Economic Research Forum Working Paper No. 1472 , Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3787795 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3787795

Angela Lyons (Contact Author)

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ( email )

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Josephine Kass-Hanna

IESEG School of Management ( email )

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HOME PAGE: http://https://www.ieseg.fr/

Alejandro Montoya Castano

The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ( email )

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