Scholarlink

<p>Striving for inclusive development requires looking beyond national averages to the outcomes of those who are being left behind. This paper introduces a flexible class of below-median development indicators and demonstrates the idea with the Human Development Index (HDI). We re-engineer the HDI into a Below-median Human Development Index (BHDI), computing bottom-half (BHDI-50) and bottom-quartile (BHDI-25) scores for 117 countries. The new index re-weights the HDI’s health, education, and income pillars toward the lower tail of each distribution, producing an intuitive measure that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the World Bank’s shared prosperity target. Average losses equal 24% for the bottom half of the population and 41% for the bottom quartile. Countries with lower HDI levels experience larger losses, implying higher inequalities, while several high-HDI countries drop a development category when ranked by BHDI. The bottom-quartile BHDI offers a simpler and more transparent alternative to the Inequality-adjusted HDI—or a deliberately pro-poor complement to the original HDI. Because the framework is modular—cut-offs and indicators can be swapped—it can be extended to other multidimensional indices or applied to specific population groups, giving policymakers a concise equity dashboard for targeting inclusive development.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Below-Median Development Indicators: Case Study of Human Development Index

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年1月10日

查看全文
  • Tina Pourpakdelfekr,
  • Miroslav Syrovátka,
  • Martin Schlossarek

摘要

Striving for inclusive development requires looking beyond national averages to the outcomes of those who are being left behind. This paper introduces a flexible class of below-median development indicators and demonstrates the idea with the Human Development Index (HDI). We re-engineer the HDI into a Below-median Human Development Index (BHDI), computing bottom-half (BHDI-50) and bottom-quartile (BHDI-25) scores for 117 countries. The new index re-weights the HDI’s health, education, and income pillars toward the lower tail of each distribution, producing an intuitive measure that aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals and the World Bank’s shared prosperity target. Average losses equal 24% for the bottom half of the population and 41% for the bottom quartile. Countries with lower HDI levels experience larger losses, implying higher inequalities, while several high-HDI countries drop a development category when ranked by BHDI. The bottom-quartile BHDI offers a simpler and more transparent alternative to the Inequality-adjusted HDI—or a deliberately pro-poor complement to the original HDI. Because the framework is modular—cut-offs and indicators can be swapped—it can be extended to other multidimensional indices or applied to specific population groups, giving policymakers a concise equity dashboard for targeting inclusive development.