Usehave

Usehave is a term used in social science to describe a composite metric that combines resource use and resource possession at the household or community level. It is designed to capture both the extent to which resources are utilized and the extent to which they are owned, in order to assess utilization efficiency and equity.

The term was proposed in 2020 by researchers exploring multidimensional indicators for sustainable development, drawing on existing use and ownership metrics. It aims to provide a single, comparable score that reflects two related but distinct dimensions.

Data are collected via surveys and administrative records. Use is measured by indicators such as hours of use, frequency, or rate of utilization; Have is measured by ownership status, access rights, or control. The usehave score aggregates these dimensions after normalization, often by averaging the two components or applying a weighted scheme.

Applications include analyzing irrigation water resources, household energy, or public goods. In a study of irrigation wells, usehave highlighted situations where households own a well but rarely use it due to price or access constraints, and vice versa.

Limitations include interpretability, cultural bias, data quality, and the subjectivity of weighting choices. Some scholars view usehave as a useful policy tool for targeting interventions and tracking progress, while others caution against reducing complex social dynamics to a single index.