Title: Dimension of Severe Poverty in Romania – a Dynamic Picture of Social Cohesion
Abstract: The paper presents the dynamics of severe poverty, as a minimum threshold of poverty calculated at 40% of median income per equivalent adult. This severe form of poverty is affecting a relatively large mass of population and represents a step towards material deprivation and social exclusion. The severe poverty is an important indicator, along with the common set of European indicators on poverty and social exclusion, developed and quantified by all European countries. To capture as much of this diagnosis of severe poverty as possible, the analyses in dynamics takes into account a multitude of features such as the residence, gender, household size or number of people in the household, age of household head, etc. These assessments capture the dynamic evolution of severe poverty incidence during 2008-2013/2014, expressed by severe poverty rates. Because the own-consumption size is an important element especially for poor households, or in rural areas, this component was included in determining the disposable income per equivalent adult, when the severe poverty rates were estimated. Databases belong to the Household Budget Survey, conducted by the National Institute of Statistics, Romania, during that period. Shaping this complex picture of severe poverty, especially through the analysis of those determinants, represents a first step toward knowledge of an important dimension of social cohesion. Highlighting the dynamics of this dimension is significant for the analysis of how the severe poverty has evolved over time and contributes, even indirectly, to offering an important feedback in the light of the Europe 2020 Strategy.