Interpretability of Composite Indicators Based on Principal Components

Table 2

Definitions of the four pillars and possible input variables.

Pillar	Input ID	Input variable description
Access to basic services (ABS): ability of a household to meet basic needs by accessing and effectively using basic services	1	Access to improved sanitation facilities
	2	Access to improved water sources
	3	Access to electricity
	4	Access to improved energy sources
	5	Closeness to primary school
	6	Closeness to hospital
	7	Closeness to markets
	8	Closeness to the nearest city
Assets (AST): key elements of a livelihood since they enable households to produce and consume goods	1	Wealth index
	2	Agricultural asset index
	3	Tropical livestock unit
	4	Land used for crop production
Social safety nets (SSN): capacity of the household to access formal and informal assistance	1	Participating in social networks
	2	Loans/credits received in the last year
	3	Formal transfers received in the last year
	4	Informal transfers received in the last year
	5	Government assistance received in the last year
Adaptive capacity (AC): ability to adapt to a new situation and develop new livelihood strategies	1	Household average years of education
	2	Share of active working members
	3	Household head can read or write
	4	Different sources of income
	5	Different crops cultivated during the last season
	6	Participating in training courses