A Simple Poverty Scorecard for India

This paper uses data from a national survey to construct an easy-to-use scorecard that estimates the likelihood that a household in India has expenditure below a given poverty line. The scorecard uses 10 simple indicators that field workers can quickly collect and verify. Poverty scores can be computed on paper in less than five minutes. The scorecard's accuracy, as well as sample-size formulas, are reported for a range of poverty lines. Poverty scoring is a practical way for pro-poor programs in India to monitor poverty rates, track changes in poverty rates over time, and target services.