The focus of this paper is the low observed mean consumption elasticity of poverty in Africa, and the suggestion that polarisation of national distributions, specifically the non-parametric ‘relative distribution’ method, is essential to understand the low regional elasticity. The version of the methodology adopted results in a measure of absolute polarisation. We show that the results obtained for 24 countries in the region are entirely a product of this choice, and while preference for translation invariance is a normative matter, claims regarding changes in distributions are not. There is no evidence of distributional changes unaccounted for by standard measures of inequality and mean consumption. These variables also explain the evolution of poverty levels in the 24-country sample. Given that changes in mean consumption and inequality account for both the changes in the chosen measure of polarisation and the evolution of poverty, there is no distinct role for the chosen measure of polarisation in accounting for the evolution of poverty in the region.

中文翻译：

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非洲的两极分化与减贫：魔鬼在等价关系的选择中

本文的重点是观察到的非洲贫困的低平均消费弹性，以及国家分布的两极分化，特别是非参数“相对分布”方法，对于理解低区域弹性至关重要。所采用的方法的版本导致了绝对极化的测量。我们表明，该地区 24 个国家获得的结果完全是这种选择的产物，虽然对翻译不变性的偏好是一个规范问题，但关于分布变化的说法却不是。没有证据表明不平等和平均消费的标准衡量标准无法解释分配变化。这些变量也解释了 24 个国家样本中贫困水平的演变。