THESIS: Multidimensional Poverty in Botswana: Leaving no one behind

The Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) congratulates its recent graduate Dr Khaufelo Raymond Lekobane. Dr Lekobane obtained his PhD from the University of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in 2022.

Dr Lekobane’s PhD thesis is titled ‘Multidimensional Poverty in Botswana: Leaving No One Behind’. The thesis aims at constructing the first individual-level multidimensional poverty index for Botswana to identify those left behind. The research also examines whether those left behind benefit from the country’s rich social protection programmes.

His PhD thesis was externally examined by a renowned poverty specialist, Professor David Gordon from the University of Bristol. Part of Dr Lekobane’s PhD thesis has also been published as IDS working paper, peer-reviewed journal, and has been presented at international conferences.

Dr Lekobane is currently a Research Fellow in the Human and Social Development Unit.

He joined the Botswana Institute for Development Policy Analysis (BIDPA) in 2009 as an Research Fellow I/Statistician. He obtained his first degree in 2004 majoring in statistics and economics and further attained a Masters degree in Statistics (MA Statistics) in 2009, both from the University of Botswana. Dr Lekobane has extensive research and consultancy experience. He is a statistician by training and vastly equipped in both quantitative and qualitative research skills.

His current research interests include multidimensional poverty, child (multidimensional) poverty, ‘leave no one behind’, welfare and inequality, and the role of public policy (social protection policies) on poverty eradication.

Part of his work appears in peer-reviewed and high-impact journals such as Social Indicators Research, Child Indicators Research, Journal of Social and Economic Development, Journal of Poverty, Review of Development Economics.