Coping with Energy Poverty: Measurements, Drivers, Impacts, and Solutions

Energy is required for socioeconomic development, and the world’s energy needs have significantly increased in the last decades. The lack of energy can have severe impacts on a person’s well-being; therefore, energy access should be ensured for everyone in the world. Energy poverty usually refers to a situation where a household cannot be kept adequately warm, but it is a complex issue with many more aspects. This paper aims to present a comprehensive review of the energy poverty problem, particularly presenting various definitions given in the literature that capture the multi-dimensional nature of the problem and analyzing the different ways of measuring energy poverty (expenditure approach and consensual approach). In addition, the impacts of the problem are identified, including health, socioeconomic, and environmental impacts, as well as the drivers that can worsen energy poverty conditions, such as several household characteristics and various socioeconomic and environmental factors. The situation occurring currently in the world is also presented, including studies that focus on different world regions, and the different solutions that can help address the problem are discussed, including changes to the living environments and the use of new technologies.

Including services in multidimensional poverty measurement for SDGs: modifications to the consensual approach

Poor households disproportionately lack access to services, yet this is rarely considered in poverty measures. Service provision can vary significantly between and within countries, and so similar levels of household resources may translate to very different living standards. Where universal provision of basic services is lacking, current approaches to poverty measurement may result in underestimates, thereby raising comparability and identification issues. We propose a conceptual framework to incorporate service provision into multidimensional poverty measures, based on a modification to the consensual approach. The modification would create improved context-specific poverty measures, enabling a more nuanced understanding about effective access to services.

The overlap between income poverty and material deprivation: sensitivity evidence for Australia

Many studies have noted the low overlap between income poverty and material deprivation when the latter is derived using the consensual approach that builds on the work of Townsend. However, few have examined the contributing factors and even fewer have assessed the sensitivity of the overlap to different approaches and adjustments. This paper uses Australian data to examine the impact on the overlap of data adjustments and three substantive factors: short-run income fluctuations, housing costs and net wealth. The analysis shows that accounting for two of these factors leads to a marked increase in the overlap between poverty and deprivation.

A Try to combine more than approaches and competitive strategies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage.

The objective of this research paper is two-fold. The first is a precise reading of the theoretical underpinnings of each of the strategic approaches: "Market approach" for (M. Porter), and the alternative resource-based approach (R B V), advocates for the idea that the two approaches are complementary. Secondly, we will discuss the possibility of combining the two competitive strategies: cost leadership and differentiation. Finally, we propose a consensual approach that we call "dual domination".

Expert consensus on the conservative management of patients with chronic venous disease in CEAP clinical classes C0s-C3 in Italy

Objectives To define a consensual approach for the conservative treatment of patients C0s-C3. Method The project was structured into two phases. The first one involved a group of Italian specialists in angiology and/or vascular surgery with the aim to compare their therapeutic choices in the management of patients in CEAP C0s-C3. The second phase used a Delphi consensus in order to elaborate practical statements on the conservative management of these patients. Results The first phase involved a group of 166 Italian specialists while the second phase involved a Steering Committee of 6 specialists and a panel of 20 specialists. At the end of the third round, a consensus >80% was reached on seven assertions. Conclusion Seven statements have been drafted by a group of Italian specialists to provide physicians with practical guidance for the conservative treatment of C0s-C3 patients. Outstanding issues on the management of these patients were identified, confirming the urgent need of further research.

Measuring Multidimensional Poverty According to National Definitions: Operationalising Target 1.2 of the Sustainable Development Goals

The first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) tasks countries with eradicating poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. This presents considerable challenges for poverty researchers and national statistical offices charged with collecting data to monitor progress on meeting of this ambitious target. Our paper focuses on how the different dimensions of poverty might be mapped out, and compared, within and across heterogeneous countries and societies, using a method called the Consensual Approach to poverty measurement. It explains how the approach can inform different poverty measurement frameworks (e.g. rights based, capabilities or deprivation of basic needs approaches), how it has already been used successfully across low, middle- and high-income countries and sets out some key lessons and future challenges. The paper uses data from the demographic and health surveys (DHS) and World Bank’s Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire surveys to demonstrate cross- and intra-national consensus about what constitutes minimally acceptable living standards across several countries in West Africa; we suggest that existing survey platforms, like national household income and expenditure surveys, DHS or even UNICEF’s Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys could (with minor additions) be used to apply the Consensual Approach to measure multidimensional poverty in children and adults across countries, and thus aid reporting for the SDGs.