Proceedings of 34th International Business Research Conference
4 - 5 April 2016, Imperial College, London, UK, ISBN: 978-1-925488-02-9
Evaluating Poverty in Prihatin (Caring) Selangor Survey:
Construction of a Multidimensional Instrument
Muhammad Shamshinor Bin Abdul Azzis, Muhammad Wazir Bin Muslat,
Mohammad Falahat Nejadmahani and Jeffrey FK Phang
The growth of a nation remains incomplete without improving the conditions of those
afflicted with poverty. As the most developed state in Malaysia, government of
Selangor have taken advances stepin recalculating thepoverty statistics by using
internationally comparable measure which is Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
This article reports on the development and initial technical validation of the Prihatin
(Caring) SelangorInstrument, a research tool which emphasizes three vital features in
poverty measurement; incidence, severity and inequality among Selangor population.
While there have been several empirically poverty research’s instrument published,
presently there are no validated instruments available to evaluate the MPI instrument
employed in Malaysia.The primary technical validation study ofthePrihatin (Caring)
Selangor Instrumentwas conducted in three phases. Phase I included the
development of the initial instrument supported by an extensive review of the
literature by comparing several institution methods in Poverty Line Income (PLI)
calculations. Phase II consisted of an experts item review and initial reliability and
validity tests. Phase III involved an analysis of the Phase II empirical data to assess
the instrument’s effectiveness and, where necessary, making any final changes to the
instrument for future analyses. Findings demonstrated strong validity and reliability
confirmation that collectively supports continued development of the Prihatin (Caring)
Selangor Instrument. In conclusion, the analyses of this instrument shows broader
conceptualization of poverty not as a single aptitude but rather as a package of
Multidimensional Poverty Index for Selangor population.
Field of Research: Economics: Poverty and Human Development
________________________________________________________________
Faculty of Education & Social Sciences, Universiti Selangor, Bestari Jaya Campus, Timur Tambahan
Road, 45000, Bestari Jaya, Selangor, Email: shamshinor@unisel.edu.my