Date of Conferral

7-9-2026

Date of Award

July 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Lori Salgado

Abstract

Poverty disproportionately affects rural populations, women, and children and is shaped by structural inequalities in access to resources and opportunities, reinforcing cycles of disadvantage. Although existing literature provides extensive quantitative evidence on multidimensional poverty, there remains a limited qualitative understanding of how these deprivations are experienced at the household level. This generic qualitative study addressed this gap by examining the lived experiences of heads of households in Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Nigeria, where poverty incidence and intensity are among the highest nationally. Drawing on Sen’s capability theory, Atkinson’s multidimensional poverty framework, and the social determinants of health model, this study examined the combined effects of acute, chronic, and rural poverty and addressed the overarching research question about the policy implications of social determinants of well-being in shaping the lived experience of multidimensional poverty in Nigeria. Data were collected through semi-structured conversational interviews with 21 household heads selected from the National Social Security Register. A two-cycle coding and thematic analysis generated three overarching themes, revealing that multidimensional poverty is an interrelated system characterized by (a) fragile institutions, (b) recurrent shocks, and (c) constrained access to opportunities. These results highlighted income as a meta-capability and identify structural barriers that limit the conversion of resources into well-being. The study contributes to positive social change and public policy by proposing the capability-resilience loop framework and offering recommendations to enhance service delivery, institutional reliability, and poverty-reduction strategies.

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