Living Standards

Decent Standard of Living (DSL)

• A Decent Standard of Living in South Africa: Findings on possession of the socially perceived necessities in 2022 (2023) SASPRI and SPI.
• Report on Colloquium 2023/Launch of the DSL report: DSL Launch Summary and write-up in UNICEF South Africa report (pages 8-10).
• A 2021 validation of the South African socially perceived necessities for a Decent Standard of Living (2021) Helen Barnes and Michael Noble (SASPRI); Nqobile Zulu and Isobel Frye (SPII); Trenton Elsley (LRS). 
• Report on Colloquium 2021 – Critical reflection on the socially perceived necessities (SPNs) in attaining a Decent Standard of Living 
• Report on Colloquium 2020 – Embedding multi-dimensional poverty measurements for COVID-19 structural recovery (in SPI Annual Report) 
• Report on Colloquium 2019 – Disrupting Poverty: Applying a Decent Standard of Living measure towards coherent policy design 
• Decent Standard of Living Index Final Report (2018) Isobel Frye (SPII), Gemma Wright, Trenton Elsley (LRS), Michael Noble, Helen Barnes, Jabulani Jele, Faith Masekesa, Wanga Zembe-Mkabile and David McLennan (SASPRI). Report for the National Department of Social Development, South Africa. 
• A Decent Living Level for South Africa: A report on how possession of socially perceived necessities relates to income (2015) Michael Noble, Helen Barnes, Gemma Wright, Wanga Zembe-Mkabile and Michell Mpike (SASPRI); Isobel Frye (SPII); Trenton Elsley. (LRS)

The Socially Perceived Necessities (SPN) approach to measuring an acceptable standard of living

• Noble, M. and Wright, G. (2013) ‘Ring of Fire – Socially perceived necessities in informal urban settlements in South Africa’, Policy and Politics, 41(2), pp. 259-277.
• Wright, G. and Noble, M. (2013) ‘Does widespread lack undermine the socially perceived necessities approach to defining poverty? Evidence from South Africa’, Journal of Social Policy, 42(1), pp.147-165.
• CASASP Working Paper 10: Socially Perceived Necessities in South Africa: Patterns of Possession (2011) Gemma Wright.
• CASASP Working Paper 9: Socially Perceived Necessities in South Africa: Comparing the Views of Sub-groups of the Population (2011) Gemma Wright.
• Findings from the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project: A Profile of Poverty using the Socially Perceived Necessities Approach (2008) Gemma Wright. Department of Social Development.
• Findings from the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project: Education (2007) Helen Barnes and Gemma Wright. Department of Social Development.
• Findings from the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project: Children (2007) Helen Barnes, Lucie Cluver and Gemma Wright. Department of Social Development.
• Findings from the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project: Health and a Safe Environment (2006) Lucie Cluver, Wiseman Magasela and Gemma Wright. Department of Social Development.
• Findings from the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project: Housing (2006) Wiseman Magasela, Gemma Wright, Andrew Ratcliffe and Michael Noble. Department of Social Development.
• Methodology for the Qualitative Stage of the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project (2005) Andrew Ratcliffe, Wiseman Magasela, Michael Noble, Gemma Wright, Danielle Mason, Sharon Zichawo and Richard Chigume. Department of Social Development.
• Preliminary Findings from the Qualitative Stage of the Indicators of Poverty and Social Exclusion Project (2004) Michael Noble, Andrew Ratcliffe, Wiseman Magasela, Gemma Wright, Danielle Mason, Sharon Zichawo and Richard Chigume. Department of Social Development.
• Noble, M., Wright, G., Magasela, W. and Ratcliffe, R. (2007) ‘Developing a Democratic Definition of Poverty in South Africa’, Journal of Poverty, 11(4), pp.117-141.
• CASASP Working Paper 3: Conceptualizing, Defining and Measuring Poverty in South Africa – An Argument for a Consensual Approach (2004) Michael Noble, Andrew Ratcliffe and Gemma Wright.