Official manipulation of poverty statistics? Colombia 2002-2012

Abstract

After year 2008 the Colombian planning office, DNP, eliminated its own official data of monetary income distribution of years 2006-2007 and changed the old analysis method for a new one that measures other things and it is based in the MPI (Multidimensional Poverty Index) developed in England. The article: 1) Publishes and studies censored data; 2) It demonstrates the presence of modified averages, wrong premises and errors of theory and practice in official analysis; 3) It discusses other moments of debate around the theme. 4) Method: it applies basics of sets theory and logics to question the mixing of endogenous and exogenous premises and the weighted estimates of supossed “total” poverty lines in official analysis. 4) Conclusion: errors did not start on year 2006 but since year 2002, or perhaps before; there were not significant advances in poors countings. 5) It suggests: a) Returning to the old monetary method improving it; b) Quit using the MPI method and exogenous Orshansky coefficients in official analysis; c) Impulsing scientific, academic and citizens controls to debate the case in order to promote its proper and transparent handling in the future.