I am not at all surprised by the scientific disagreement on methodology to describe poverty trends. It just underlines the need to look at research findings and implied causal links with a critical eye. A second opinion is often useful. Income levels may follow the Human Development Index closely at an aggregate level. But this is a limited tool in terms of public policies to overcome poverty, such as how public policy is used in order to provide equitable access to benefits and how governments follow up commitments to human rights, democratic decisionmaking and opportunities.
Information needs to be relevant to political decisionmaking.
Sound facts are essential. The ways in which facts are interpreted and used - likewise. In that perspective, both the UNDP's and NUPI's focus on income distribution is pertinent to today's main political objectives. Regardless of who s right and who s wrong on globalization and inequality, this is a formidable ambition. Formidable, but according to other research attainable.