Abstract

This paper develops an account of normative validity and illustrates it through poverty measures. Many ideas addressed below are legatees of Anna Alexandrova’s reflections on what she called “value-aptness” in measuring well-being. To my knowledge, she introduced the term “normative validity” (Alexandrova, 2017: 151). Still, my goal is to address normative validity in a broader context than she did, highlighting its significance not only for well-being but also for other concepts, particularly poverty. I will further discuss how normative validity can provide deeper insights into an important debate in poverty measurement: that between normative-driven approaches like Amartya Sen’s and data-driven ones like Peter Townsend’s.