Are poverty-targeting tools practicable? Insights from Khmer communities in Southern Vietnam

Abstract Poverty-targeting tools (PTTs) are widely used to identify households below specific poverty thresholds using supposedly practical indicators. While their accuracy has been extensively studied, their practicability—defined as simplicity and verifiability in real-world contexts—remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap and ensures the practicability of Ethnic Minority Poverty-Targeting tools (EMP tools), originally developed under laboratory conditions, by evaluating these tools’ practicability within Khmer communities in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta. Quantitatively, we assess tools’ practicability from poverty-targeting enumerators’ perspectives through Likert scales, and apply Factor Analysis and Ordinary Least Squares regressions to identify practicability determinants. Thematic analysis of qualitative data explores how enumerators obtain and verify indicators. Findings show that while EMP tools are generally perceived as practical—with over half of enumerators affirming the straightforwardness and verifiability of most indicators—significant variations exist. Indicators typically considered practical, such as cellphone ownership and job types, receive the lowest scores for verifiability. Conversely, the land ownership indicator, often considered complex, shows higher practicability. Local knowledge, especially from village leaders, plays an important role in verifying high-risk misreporting indicators, while village meetings are ineffective. Enumerator characteristics (ethnicity, gender, age, and experience) significantly determine of tools’ practicability. This study contributes insights into PTT practicability and presents a methodological framework for pre-assessing PTT practicability before deployment. Findings underscore the need to assess indicator applicability across contexts, as conventional assumptions may not always hold. Identified determinants can aid local governments in selecting appropriate enumerators to maximize tool effectiveness in practice.