Abstract
Aim of this paper is to explore poverty patterns and differentials across Italian provinces for several objective dimensions of life-style deprivation according to a multidimensional and fuzzy approach. We propose a joint analysis of monetary and supplementary deprivation to point out the extent to which the two aspects of poverty overlap for the population concerned, to look into their potential background determinants and to sketch a territorial poverty profile. Since traditional direct estimators, based on ECHP data, cannot provide adequate precision due to smallness of domain-specific sub-sample, we test Rao-Yu models, as extension of Fay-Herriot estimator, to handle time-series data.
In addition to a diversity of deficiencies found throughout Italy, empirical evidence clearly emphasize higher degrees of overlap in "poorer" southern provinces and lower degrees in "richer" northern ones, justifying the implementation of different approaches to poverty measurement to identify those areas which, more than others, need structural interventions.