The Actual Needs of the Needy: New Measure of Poverty Catches On

William Widmer, Redux

Measuring poverty by income alone may distort the picture. In Mexico, officials have started to count other factors, such as adequate sanitation.

By Tom Bartlett

What makes someone poor? Among those who study poverty, the answer has long been a lack of money. If your income falls below a certain level, you're poor. Researchers study extreme poverty and chronic poverty, but the basic assumption is the same: What's in your wallet is what matters.

But maybe there's more to it. Maybe poverty is about not having enough food, access to health care, reliable transportation, adequate sanitation, and a dozen other things that make life bearable. The