A micro-spatial analysis multidimensional poverty in Gauteng province – South Africa Evidence from quality of life survey data Darlington Mushongera, Precious Zikhali and Phindile Ngwenya Abstract Analyses of poverty in South Africa have generally focused on money-metric measures and tend to be pitched at either national or provincial levels. These unidimensional approaches, though important, are narrow and provide little information on the many dimensions of poverty that poor people experience. National level analyses also mask the poverty dynamics that prevail at the micro level. As a result, these studies are of limited use to local government where policy implementation occurs and where information about the poor is desperately needed. The key limiting factor has been the nature of available datasets which do not permit spatial disaggregation to local or lower levels. While National Census data allow for lower level spatial disaggregation, the ten-year gap between censuses limits government planning capabilities. The availability of three recent and unique Quality of Life Survey (QoL) datasets from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) presents an opportunity to undertake a multidimensional poverty analysis for Gauteng at three geo-scales: provincial, local and ward levels. We develop a Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for Gauteng for 2011 and 2013 using the Alkire-Foster mmethod. Overall, the MPI for Gauteng is low but varies markedly by municipality and by ward. The MPI is revealed to be strongly correlated with income poverty. Not only are income poor households more likely to be multidimensionally poor, they also suffer from higher intensities of poverty. Multidimensional poverty tends to be highest in areas that have low economic activity and are located on the edges of the province. However, pockets of multidimensional poverty exist even in better performing municipalities. More in-depth analyses of developmental challenges at much more localised levels are needed to assist local government to devise policies that channel investments into lagging areas and avoid using approaches that are indifferent to the heterogeneities that exist across local geographical spaces. Keywords: Multidimensional poverty, headcount ratio, poverty intensity, Quality of Life Survey, Gauteng 1 Introduction In spite of major policy and legislative interventions enacted since 1994, reducing poverty and inequality remains one of the major challenges facing the South African government. The first post-apartheid government prioritised the reduction of poverty and inequality and this is reflected in several policies and legislative enactments, in particular the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) of 1994 (Republic of South Africa (RSA), 1994: 7). Twenty years on, reducing poverty and inequality along with unemployment are still major objectives of government, occupying a central place in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, published in November 2011. In addition to pursuing economic growth as a broad measure for alleviating poverty and lowering inequality, the South African government also uses the budget to pursue these goals through the social wage 1 (RSA, 2013; Statistics South Africa (Stats SA), 2014a). The social wage – which constituted around 60 percent of total government spending in 2013 – provides the poor, the previously disadvantaged, and marginalised communities access to basic services under the Free Basic Services Programme (FBS) and other social protection initiatives (RSA, 2013). Free basic services include subsidised access to electricity, water, sanitation, and refuse removal. Social protection comprises social grants. Social spending on primary healthcare, education, enhancing access to productive assets by the poor (e.g. housing and land), and job creation through the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) also form part of the social wage. Initiatives to reduce poverty and inequality are also high on the agenda of the current Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG). In 2014, GPG adopted the Multi-Pillar Programme for Radical Transformation for Gauteng. One of the ten pillars currently included in the programme is Accelerated Social Transformation 1 Social wage refers to monetary and in-kind support given to vulnerable households. Four components make up the social wage in South Africa (i) housing and community amenities; (ii) health; (iii) education; and (iv) social protection. The first three replace or subsidise day-to-day expenses for housing, education and health thereby reducing the cost of living. The fourth is income paid directly to vulnerable groups.