The measurement of poverty in Africa has been pioneered by economists (whose measurements usually apply to income or consumption by households) and grass-root 'participationists' (who tend to use community definitions of household wealth/poverty). These measures are often used in arguments about...

This paper is based on research in sub-Saharan Africa, although the conceptual framework developed may be applied in any context. The theoretical section discusses conceptions of people, the division of labour, macro-micro conceived as structure and action, the analytical distinction between...