Principles, approaches, and multidimensional poverty measurement in Mexico: critical analysis of the 2015-2020 period

Abstract

Introduction: In this research, the understanding of poverty is not based on its separate objective or subjective parts, which denotes a reductionist approach, but on its self-organization as a systemic whole to which indicators, capabilities, and consequences are structurally coupled in an intricate and complex internal dynamic that constantly feeds back from the environment. Therefore, the paper focuses on poverty in Mexico, starting from the insufficiency of exclusively economic measurements to capture the complexity of human deprivation. Objective: Poverty is addressed from Amartya Sen's capabilities approach and Julio Boltvinik's human flourishing perspective, arguing that inequality and the logic of capitalist accumulation are structural causes that transcend the simple income metric. Materials and Methods: A mixed design is used, comprising a documentary review of specialized literature, prioritizing theoretical discussion, and a statistical-descriptive analysis of data from the CONEVAL Multidimensional Poverty Measurement for the 2015-2020 period. Results: The findings confirm the persistence of extreme poverty (with an increase of 1.5 p.p. between 2018 and 2020) and, crucially, show a dramatic rise of 12.0 percentage points in the lack of access to health services. Discussion: This increase demonstrates the population's inherent vulnerability to the erosion of social rights, validating the thesis that deprivation translates into an absolute failure in the space of capabilities, regardless of the possession of goods. Wage precarity emerges as the factor that systematically destroys development opportunities. Conclusions: Poverty is an inherently multidimensional and structural phenomenon; a paradigm shift in public policies is required that prioritizes the guarantee of social rights and the full development of human capabilities over mere economic mitigation.