Reproducibility package for Unveiling Multidimensional Poverty: Insights from the EU

The European Union (EU) has improved living standards, yet welfare disparities persist across regions, countries, and demographic groups. This paper uses data from EU-SILC cross-sectional and longitudinal surveys and the at risk-of-poverty or social exclusion (AROPE) framework to analyze recent temporal trends in absolute multidimensional poverty across EU27 countries and subregions. It also quantifies the extent, composition, and factors associated with higher risks of multidimensional poverty across four EU countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, and Poland) and extends the AROPE framework to consider other dimensions of deprivations. Finally, it analyzes the extent of multidimensional poverty among the Roma population in Bulgaria and assesses the extent of chronic income poverty and chronic material deprivation among this group. Our analysis reveals that some EU member states present strikingly divergent trends in multidimensional poverty compared to the EU average, as well as different rates of progress across EU subregions. In the analysis of the four EU countries of interest, results indicate that even though monetary poverty risks are comparable across these countries, there exist notable variations in the incidence of non-monetary indicators and the intensity of deprivations. However, the likelihood of being multidimensionally poor is conditioned by similar individual, socio-economic, and familiar characteristics across countries. The Roma population in Bulgaria encounters more concurrent disadvantages compared to the broader population and is significantly more likely to be disproportionately represented among those experiencing chronic poverty and material deprivations. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted policy interventions that tackle the most pressing needs of disadvantaged populations. Finally, this study proposes a set of potential policy interventions to address structural inequalities and improve the well-being of vulnerable populations.