An article examined the relationship between child poverty and children's subjective well-being.
Source: Gill Main, 'Child poverty and children's subjective well-being', Child Indicators Research, Volume 7 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A new book examined connections between climate change and poverty in developed countries.
Source: Tony Fitzpatrick, Climate Change and Poverty: A new agenda for developed nations, Policy Press
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Sep
A new book examined responses to domestic hunger and income poverty in twelve countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.
Source: Graham Riches and Tiina Silvasti (eds), First World Hunger Revisited: Food charity or the right to food?, Palgrave Macmillan
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Sep
A themed section of a journal examined representations of people living in poverty and the politics of welfare reform, in the context of a United Kingdom television series (Benefits Street) that had raised the idea that there were whole communities of people who were disconnected from paid work.
Source: Sociological Research Online, Volume 19 Issue 3
Links: Table of contents
Notes: Articles included:
Jessica Pykett, 'Representing attitudes to welfare dependency: relational geographies of welfare'
Kim Allen, Imogen Tyler, and Sara De Benedictis, 'Thinking with "White Dee": the gender politics of "austerity porn"'
Robert MacDonald, Tracy Shildrick, and Andy Furlong, '"Benefits Street" and the myth of workless communities'
Date: 2014-Sep
A report outlined the case for addressing poverty in the United Kingdom, and the policy options available to governments. It said that poverty was real (and predicted to rise) but not inevitable, and that there was a need to address the underlying causes through a comprehensive, long-term strategy, rooted in cross-party consensus. The report called for measures to address the 'four Ps': pockets (the resources available to households); prospects (life-chances); places (homes and communities); and prevention. It outlined a range of policy responses and called for the Office for Budget Responsibility to be given responsibility to monitor and forecast poverty rates for people of all ages, as well as for the extension of the remit of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.
Source: A UK Without Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Sep
A think-tank report provided an overview of the findings from its Breakthrough Britain 2015 project, which had examined the impact of the root causes of poverty, based around 'five pathways to poverty': worklessness; family breakdown; educational failure; addiction; and serious personal debt. The project had run since 2013 and had produced a range of reports.
Source: Breakthrough Britain 2015: An overview, Centre for Social Justice
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided a snapshot of rural policy in the United Kingdom. It said that there was greater diversity in the rural economy than was reflected in policy and called for rural growth policy to look beyond its focus on the more traditional rural sectors (such as farming, forestry, and food) and for rural business needs to be reflected in the work of local enterprise partnerships and combined authorities. The report also considered the need for policy to reflect a range of social issues, including poverty and social exclusion, an ageing demographic, housing affordability, and transport.
Source: Reimagining the Rural: What's missing in UK rural policy?, Centre for Rural Economy (University of Newcastle)
Links: Report | Newcastle University press release
Date: 2014-Sep
An article examined the definition of poverty. It questioned a measure suggested by Nolan and Whelan that had identified respondents as being in poverty when they experienced both a low standard of living (as measured by deprivation indicators) and a lack of resources (as measured by a low-income line), with the two measures requiring an equal weight. It said that material deprivation, rather than the low-income measure, was particularly effective in identifying individuals at risk of multiple forms of deprivation, but argued that there was a need to advance the measurement of material deprivation beyond its 'relatively rudimentary' state.
Source: Rod Hick, 'On "consistent" poverty', Social Indicators Research, Volume 118 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided findings from an inquiry that examined health inequalities affecting the north of England. The report said that inequalities were caused by differences in poverty, power, and resources and their associated consequences for health, which had been worsened as a result of local authority cuts and welfare reforms that had an uneven impact in different areas of the country. Recommendations to address inequalities included measures to: address poverty and economic inequality within the north and between the north and the rest of England (including better housing, health equity strategies, and a living wage); promote healthy development in early childhood; share power over resources and increase the influence of the general public (including a call for devolution of responsibilities); and strengthen the role of the health sector in promoting health equity.
Source: Inquiry Panel on Health Equity for the North of England, Due North: Report of the Inquiry on Health Equity for the North, University of Liverpool/Centre for Local Economic Strategies
Links: Report | Summary | CLES press release | University of Durham press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report examined public attitudes to poverty and how they had changed since 2008. It said that economic circumstances in recent years had led some to reconsider their views, that participants considered poverty to be about more than just income, and that some questioned whether the term 'poverty' was appropriate in the United Kingdom context (suggesting the term 'need' as an alternative). The report said that participants had viewed a needs-based definition of poverty positively, but still felt that other factors (such as lack of opportunity, lack of aspiration, not having a support network, the psychological impact, and inability to participate in society) could help to encapsulate more fully the experience of living in poverty.
Source: Suzanne Hall, Katrina Leary, and Helen Greevy, Public Attitudes to Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2014-Sep
A series of three journal articles examined child deaths in high-income countries, highlighting the importance of relative poverty as a social determinant of health.
Source: The Lancet 6-12 September 2014
Links: Table of contents | University of Bristol press release | BBC report | Guardian report | NHS Choices article
Notes: Articles:
James Fraser, Peter Sidebotham, John Frederick, Teresa Covington, and Edwin Mitchell, 'Learning from child death review in the USA, England, Australia, and New Zealand'
Peter Sidebotham, James Fraser, Peter Fleming, Martin Ward-Platt, and Richard Hain, 'Patterns of child death in England and Wales'
Peter Sidebotham, James Fraser, Teresa Covington, Jane Freemantle, Stavros Petrou, Ruth Pulikottil-Jacob, Tessa Cutler, and Catherine Ellis, 'Understanding why children die in high-income countries'
Date: 2014-Sep
A think-tank paper examined policy options to address low pay and price inflation in the United Kingdom. It argued that the prices of goods and services had been rising significantly prior to the financial crisis, and that the policy response should not be greater government intervention (through price controls, regulation, higher minimum wages, and higher transfer payments), but should be more focused on supply side policies using measures such as the deregulation of land-use planning, energy markets, childcare, and other product markets.
Source: Ryan Bourne, Low Pay and the Cost of Living: A supply-side approach, Institute of Economic Affairs
Links: Paper | Summary | IEA press release
Date: 2014-Sep
A report provided findings from a series of commissioned reviews of existing policy and research on a wide range of social issues related to poverty and poverty reduction in the United Kingdom. The report was presented in five sections: the bigger picture (including sections on: demographic change; devolution; gender; international anti-poverty strategies; regeneration; religion; sexual orientation; and well-being); welfare and work; money and the cost of living; education, personal relationships, and community; and complex needs. Some sections included links to more extensive reports.
Source: Reducing Poverty in the UK: A collection of evidence reviews, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined how welfare reform and austerity policies affected work with vulnerable families in Scotland. It said that more families were presenting to services with crises that arose from the cumulative effects of benefit sanctions, benefit delays, and price inflation, and that this also had an impact on pre-existing health and relationship difficulties. Services had reported an increase in complex cases, and a need to delay intensive family work in order first to stabilize home conditions and ensure that basic material needs were met. It said that resource limitations were leading to services focused on those with more severe needs and early years work, which meant that opportunities for early intervention and work with vulnerable teenagers may be missed. The report discussed the findings in the context of ongoing policy work in Scotland.
Source: Kirsty Scullin and Susan Galloway, Challenges from the Frontline: Supporting families with multiple adversities in a time of austerity, NSPCC Scotland/Barnardo's Scotland
Date: 2014-Aug
A report examined the evidence on the links between gender and poverty, possible reasons for them, and the impact on those links of related policies and policy approaches. The report concluded that the weight of evidence suggested that there were such links, which arose from the organization of family relations and responsibilities, the nature of labour market engagement and rewards, and the structure of the welfare state. However, the report argued that few studies and evaluations had focused on the links between gender and poverty, and that analytical methods needed to be developed in order to provide further clarity and investigate the gender impact of related policies.
Source: Fran Bennett and Mary Daly, Poverty Through a Gender Lens: Evidence and policy review on gender and poverty, Department of Social Policy and Intervention, University of Oxford
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined the relationship between strategies to manage poverty and the mobilization of collective action, examining interventions to manage homelessness in London between 1979 and 1993, and arguing that these interventions had the effect of also re-directing dissent and collective action. The article considered recent research on poverty management and insights from social movement theory, and the implications for contemporary homeless politics.
Source: Jonathan Greene, 'Managing poverty, managing dissent: homeless politics and collective action in London', Policy & Politics, Volume 42 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A report provided a summary of the main findings from research commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation into the links between poverty and ethnicity. It said that levels of poverty were higher among all minority-ethnic groups than among white British people in the United Kingdom, but the links were complex and there was variation within and between ethnic groups. The report said that racism and discrimination limited opportunities for people from minority-ethnic groups and they were more likely to be caught in 'low wage traps'. The research also found strong demand for more English language training provision and a need for better support for asylum-seekers and refugees. The report said there was a need for better monitoring of outcomes by ethnicity, for employers to improve the progression of low-paid workers, and for economic development plans to focus more on reducing poverty across all groups.
Source: Helen Barnard, Tacking Poverty Across All Ethnicities in the UK, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2014-Aug
A report provided findings from an international evidence and policy review of 'institutional care' and poverty, which was conducted to identify effective and costed strategies for reducing the risks. Chapters of the report covered: looked-after children; imprisonment; immigration detention; psychiatric care; and disability. A final chapter set the overall findings in the context of United Kingdom policy, and considered more specific strategic proposals to meet the needs of looked-after children and prisoners.
Source: Roger Grimshaw, Rebecca Roberts, Paul Bebbington, Monica Dowling, and Courtney Hougham, with Samantha Harding and Tom Kemp, Institutional Care and Poverty: Evidence and policy review, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Aug
An article examined the European Union social policy target to reduce poverty and social exclusion by 20 million. An analysis of ideas, politics, and governance indicated key weaknesses, and the article said that the target was ungovernable because it melded different approaches to poverty and social exclusion, and because of the leeway to member states to adopt an approach of their own choice. The target was also said to be ungoverned, because of low political priority and uncertainty around its legal status, as well as ambiguity over how it fitted into the Europe 2020 governance process.
Source: Paul Copeland and Mary Daly, 'Poverty and social policy in Europe 2020: ungovernable and ungoverned', Policy & Politics, Volume 42 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
An article presented an account of need and examined some of the implications for discussions of poverty. It said that poverty involved unmet need, and that needs were necessary conditions for end-states. Statements about poverty would only be fully intelligible when the end-states for which 'the poor' lacked the necessary conditions were clearly understood.
Source: Seosamh Mac Carthaigh, 'Need and poverty', Policy & Politics, Volume 42 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Aug
A report provided an overview of poverty-related issues in Scotland, and of the work of the Poverty Truth Commission to date. The report issued a number of 'challenges' to government, employers, landlords, and communities to address key issues, including calls to reduce food and fuel poverty, to avoid judgmentalism and stereotyping, to campaign for the living wage, and to end the use of zero-hours contracts
Source: Turning Up the Volume on Poverty, Poverty Truth Commission
Links: Report | SNP press release | BBC report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the impacts of welfare reform on families in London, focusing on four key policy changes: the introduction of caps to the local housing allowance; the benefit cap; the under-occupation penalty (commonly referred to as the 'bedroom tax'); and the replacement of council tax benefit with local council tax reduction schemes. Housing costs, housing supply, childcare costs, and low pay were said to be key concerns, and the report made a range of policy recommendations.
Source: Megan Jarvie, Families on the Brink: Welfare reform in London, Child Poverty Action Group
Links: Report | CPAG press release | Barnardos press release | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper estimated that over 20 million meals were given to people in food poverty in 2013-14 by the three main food aid providers in the United Kingdom, representing a 54 per cent increase on 2012-13. The paper said that changes in the social security system, a more punitive sanctions regime, unemployment or poor quality work, and rising living costs were contributing to a rise in food poverty, and that increasing numbers of people were turning to food banks for help. The paper called for: changes to the social security system (including changes in the use of sanctions, and the reinstatement of crisis loans); systematic independent research on the need for, and use of, food banks; a review of the impact of zero-hours contracts; and for the United Kingdom minimum wage to be increased to a living wage by 2020.
Source: Niall Cooper, Sarah Purcell, and Ruth Jackson, Below the Breadline: The relentless rise of food poverty in Britain, Oxfam/Church Action on Poverty/The Trussell Trust
Links: Paper | Oxfam press release | BBC report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
The government published its child poverty strategy for 2014-17. It said that good progress had been made in many areas to date and that the government remained committed to the target of ending child poverty in the United Kingdom by 2020. It said that actions would be taken to address the root causes of poverty and set out aims to: support families into work and to increase their earnings; improve living standards and reduce living costs; and raise educational attainment. It said that employers, local agencies, and the devolved administrations would have a part to play in achieving the aims of the strategy. The government published alongside the strategy a consultation on setting the 2020 persistent child poverty target, which would close on 14 August 2014.
Source: Child Poverty Strategy 2014-17, HM Government
Links: Report | Consultation document | DWP/DE press release | Written ministerial statement | 4Children press release | CPAG press release | Childrens Society press release | NCB press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A paper examined evidence on the relationship between poverty and refugees and asylum-seekers in the United Kingdom, focusing on the experiences of poverty, how poverty changed over time and differed across the country, and strategies to prevent and reduce poverty among forced migrants. It said that there were many, often intersectional, pathways into poverty, cross cut by other forms of disadvantage based on gender, disability, ethnicity, age, and LGBT status. It said that, for many, the asylum system itself (particularly the policy of deterrence through 'enforced destitution') was a source of vulnerability, particularly at points of transition (such as on entering paid work). The paper said that reducing the incidence of poverty would improve the quality and fairness of the asylum process, and lead to improved refugee health, well-being, and integration.
Source: Jennifer Allsopp, Nando Sigona, and Jenny Phillimore, Poverty among Refugees and Asylum Seekers in the UK: An evidence and policy review, Institute for Research into Superdiversity (University of Birmingham)
Links: Paper | Migrant Rights Network press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the impact of price inflation and low wage growth on household debt problems, and considered the specific impact on low-to-middle income households. The report examined housing costs, council tax, energy bills, water bills, telephone bills, catalogue debts, and the cost of borrowing. It said that, since 2007, there had been a 140 per cent increase in calls to a telephone advice helpline about household debt. The report concluded that a new model of debt problems had emerged, and that problem debt need no longer have a specific 'cause', but could be the result of the slow erosion of a household budget where relatively small levels of total debt could trigger severe financial difficulties due to a lack of budget flexibility. The report raised concerns about the ongoing impact of welfare reforms and made recommendations for creditors, the government, and the advice sector.
Source: Changing Household Budgets: Supporting the UK's economic recovery, Money Advice Trust
Links: Report | MAT press release | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the evidence on the links between debt, credit, and poverty. It said that a lack of longitudinal quantitative data on debt among low-income households meant that it was not possible to ascertain definitively the extent of, or the direction of, a causal relationship between poverty and problem debt. The report concluded that the available evidence highlighted that vulnerability to drops in income and to peaks in expenditure put low-income households at greater risk of problem debt. However, it said that there was a lack of robust evidence about the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of interventions that made it difficult to set priorities for an anti-poverty strategy. The report made recommendations, based on the available evidence.
Source: Yvette Hartfree and Sharon Collard, Poverty, Debt And Credit: An expert-led review, Personal Finance Research Centre (University of Bristol)
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined data on the levels of child poverty in the United Kingdom, how this had changed over recent years, and whether children who lived in deprived households were more likely to remain in low income. The report was intended to supplement the department's evidence review published in February 2014.
Source: An Analysis of the Drivers of Child Poverty Now: Analysis of the characteristics that make it hard for families to escape poverty, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | Evidence review
Date: 2014-Jun
The government began consultation on setting the 2020 persistent child poverty target. The consultation would close on 14 August 2014.
Source: Consultation on Setting the 2020 Persistent Child Poverty Target, Cm 8875, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Consultation document | DWP/DE press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A report (by an official advisory body) said that the United Kingdom Government's proposed child poverty strategy would not help to meet the legal obligation to end child poverty by 2020. It said that, while there had been improvements in the government's strategic approach and in some policy areas, overall the strategy fell far short of what was needed, such that the 2020 targets would be missed by a considerable distance. It noted the two strand approach to tackling poverty (welfare-to-work and improving educational outcomes for children) and said that, although more parents were now in work, this could not resolve the issue of child poverty while labour market conditions produced low pay and job insecurity and the government's fiscal consolidation policies limited the scope to address in-work poverty. The commission published, alongside this report, new research on the parental employment outcomes that would be needed to meet the absolute and relative child poverty targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010.
Source: Response to the Consultation on the Child Poverty Strategy 2014 to 2017, Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission
Links: Report | Research report | Commission press release | 4Children press release | ATL press release | Barnardos press release | CPAG press release | Childrens Society press release | JRF press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report | Telegraph report
Date: 2014-Jun
An article examined whether an independent Scotland would set a different poverty standard compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, based on a consensual or democratic poverty measure (defined by majority views of the 'necessities of life'). The article said that attitudes were similar in Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom, and the analysis suggested that, at least in the short term, Scotland would be unlikely to set a different social minimum.
Source: Maria Gannon and Nick Bailey, 'Attitudes to the "necessities of life": would an independent Scotland set a different poverty standard to the rest of the UK?', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined the parental employment outcomes (employment rates, hours of work, and earnings) that would be necessary to meet the absolute and relative child poverty targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010. It said that improvements to parental employment outcomes alone would not be sufficient, unless parental employment levels were close to 100 per cent and parents in in-work poverty significantly increased their working hours. The report said that financial support could be improved within existing fiscal plans if the Exchequer's revenues were boosted by more rapid rises in parental employment and higher wage increases than were currently expected. The report discussed policy implications.
Source: Howard Reed and Jonathan Portes, Understanding the Parental Employment Scenarios Necessary to Meet the 2020 Child Poverty Targets: Research report, Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission
Links: Report | Commission press release
Date: 2014-Jun
A think-tank report examined British society after the economic downturn and proposed changes to the systems of support for families, young people, older people, and those facing social exclusion, and reforms to social security, employment support, and housing policy.
Source: Kayte Lawton, Graeme Cooke, and Nick Pearce, The Condition of Britain: Strategies for social renewal, Institute for Public Policy Research
Links: Report | Summary | IPPR press release | CPAG press release | PACEY press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report provided early findings from an analysis of the Understanding Society dataset to explore child poverty transitions, aimed at identifying which employment and household characteristics increased the risk of a child entering poverty. The final report was due to be published in the autumn of 2014.
Source: Child Poverty Transitions: Early findings report, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jun
A report examined poverty among different minority-ethnic groups in Northern Ireland, following a period of high levels of inward migration. It said that people from minority-ethnic groups were at particular risk of in-work poverty and, while there was a lack of local level data, the available data indicated that there were high levels of labour market segregation among minority-ethnic groups, and the worst outcomes relating to economic activity, labour market participation, education, and health were found among the Irish Traveller community. The report said that English language skills were perceived as important for success in the labour market, and there was a perception among people from minority-ethnic backgrounds that 'ethnic markers', unfamiliarity with formal recruitment practices, and a lack of networks, restricted their access to the labour market. The report noted that a lack of data had inhibited assessment of the use or impact of government support.
Source: Jenny Irwin, Ruth McAreavey, and Niall Murphy, The Economic and Social Mobility of Ethnic Minority Communities in Northern Ireland, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Date: 2014-May
A report examined how poverty affected the physical health, emotional well-being, cognitive development, and educational achievement of children in the United Kingdom, and the development of three main drivers of child poverty: flat wage growth; pressure on social security spending; and cost of living inflation. It said that forecasts indicated that the number of children living in poverty could increase by 1.4 million (41 per cent) by 2020, and that the political commitment to ending child poverty by that date was no longer credible. The report called for: universal, high-quality, affordable childcare; a minimum income guarantee for families of children under five; and a 'mission' for all children to be reading well by age 11. Briefings were also published, examining child poverty issues in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Source: Priya Kothari, Graham Whitham, and Thomas Quinn, A Fair Start for Every Child: Why we must act now to tackle child poverty in the UK, Save the Children
Links: Report | Northern Ireland briefing | Scotland briefing | Wales briefing | Save the Children press release | CPAG press release | SNP press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-May
A study examined approaches and initiatives to reducing poverty and inequality in the United Kingdom, focusing on civil society-led initiatives and Fairness Commissions. The report said that both represented important examples of proactivity in localities and institutions. However, it said it was too soon to assess the impact of Fairness Commissions, particularly in their capacity to move from identifying issues to addressing them, and the study had gleaned a strong sense from many participants that much more could be done. The report highlighted a need to co-ordinate and scale efforts beyond a local level and to introduce more adversarial-based approaches to social and political change. It made a range of recommendations. The report was published alongside a supplement in the New Statesman on civil society and poverty.
Source: Paul Bunyan and John Diamond, Approaches to Reducing Poverty and Inequality in the UK: A study of civil society initiatives and Fairness Commissions, Edge Hill University/Webb Memorial Trust
Links: Report | New Statesman supplement | Webb Memorial Trust/New Statesman press release
Date: 2014-May
A paper examined the impacts of United Kingdom welfare reforms on refugee families living in London. It said that the reforms did not take into account the needs of refugee families and that systematic failures from public services were leaving many new refugee families without, or with insufficient, support to meet their basic living needs. It said that the reforms also affected health, including increased levels of distress and anxiety, severe depression, and suicidal thoughts.
Source: Indira Kartallozi, 21st Century London Outcasts: Welfare reforms and their impacts on refugee families living in London, Centre for Social Justice and Change, University of East London
Links: Paper
Date: 2014-May
A new book examined the impact of austerity on people in the United Kingdom, based on research undertaken during 2012 and 2013 that explored the lived reality of changes in the welfare state.
Source: Mary O'Hara, Austerity Bites: A journey to the sharp end of cuts in the UK, Policy Press
Links: Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2014-May
A report examined the impact of welfare reforms on households in Britain. It said that 1.75 million households had seen their incomes cut as a result of reductions in housing benefit and/or changes to council tax support. It called on the government to introduce an adequate 'absolute minimum' level of support, to apply regardless of local authority area or tenure.
Source: Hannah Aldridge and Tom Macinnes, Multiple Cuts for the Poorest Families, Oxfam GB
Links: Report | Summary | Oxfam press release | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Date: 2014-Apr
The Scottish Government published experimental statistics on the operation of the Scottish Welfare Fund. The fund was established to allow local authorities in Scotland to provide crisis grants or community care grants in cases of need, following the United Kingdom Government's abolition of elements of the social fund. The report said that 65 per cent of community care grant applications were successful, resulting in 22,400 awards with an average value of £640, that were most commonly spent on white goods, beds, or floor coverings. For crisis grants the figures were 71 per cent, 53,700, and £69 respectively, and the grants were mostly for food, essential heating costs, or other living expenses. Around 60 per cent of all applications were from single person households and one quarter of the households contained children.
Source: Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: 1 April to 31 December 2013, Scottish Government
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the argument (advanced in the book The Spirit Level) that in more unequal countries population health suffered, in part, because of the stress and anxiety arising from individuals making invidious or shame-inducing comparisons with others regarding their social position. It sought to extend this argument, drawing on studies exploring how people reflected on issues of social comparison and shame, how they resisted shame, and the resources that might be deployed to protect against invidious comparisons.
Source: Marian Peacock, Paul Bissell, and Jenny Owen, 'Shaming encounters: reflections on contemporary understandings of social inequality and health', Sociology, Volume 48 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
See also: Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett, The Spirit Level: Why equality is better for everyone, Penguin
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the outcome of the testing of two methods of calculating material deprivation: that used by the United Kingdom government taken from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), and the methods used in the Poverty and Social Exclusion (PSE) study at the University of Bristol. It said that, compared with the PSE measure, the FRS method underestimated the depth and extent of material deprivation among families with young children in Scotland.
Source: Morag Treanor, 'Deprived or not deprived? Comparing the measured extent of material deprivation using the UK government's and the Poverty and Social Exclusion surveys' method of calculating material deprivation', Quality & Quantity, Volume 48 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the cumulative impact of welfare reforms over the preceding year on residents living in Newham, east London, exploring the impact on finances, health and well-being, and families, as well as examining people's responses and the available information and support provided to help people manage the period of transition. It said that the cumulative financial impact, poor communication regarding the changes, and a lack of compassion in implementation had led to the erosion of people's resilience and their ability to make important decisions. The report called for the Department for Work and Pensions, Jobcentre Plus, and local authorities to improve their communication of change, provide better transitional support, and provide for the use of discretion. It recommended that local authorities should conduct their own impact assessments on future change, and that change should be co-ordinated through a single agency that could assess the impact on individuals and ensure that their needs for transitional support were met.
Source: Ellie Roberts and Luke Price, Tipping the Balance? A qualitative study on the cumulative impacts of welfare reform in the London Borough of Newham, Community Links
Links: Report | Community Links press release
Date: 2014-Apr
The Welsh Government published two reports on poverty in Wales. The first drew on the British Household Panel Survey to examine the extent to which individuals moved in and out of poverty, the characteristics of those who remained in poverty, and the types of events that led to change either way. The second report looked at the usability of the BHPS, and its successor Understanding Society, for analysis at the Wales level, through an illustrative analysis of poverty dynamics in Wales.
Source 1: New Policy Institute, The Dynamics of Low Income, Social research number: 30/2014, Welsh Government
Source 2: Rhys Davies and Huw Lloyd-Williams, An Investigation of the Potential for Wales-Level Analysis of the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society: An illustrative analysis of poverty dynamics in Wales, Social research number: 31/2014, Welsh Government
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined people's experiences of the impacts of poverty and deprivation on mental health in Scotland. It called for decisive and urgent action to reduce poverty and deprivation, including actions to mitigate the impact of welfare reforms. It also made recommendations to the government for changes in welfare policy and practice.
Source: Worried Sick: Experiences of poverty and mental health across Scotland, Scottish Association for Mental Health
Links: Report | SAMH press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined the impact of the coalition government policies on the future direction of children's services, both at the national and local levels. At the national level, it questioned the ability of the government to deliver the aspirations of the Child Poverty Act 2010, given the broad range of influences and factors that could determine the circumstances in which a child might experience poverty.
Source: Nada Kakabadse, Nicci Marzec, and Richard Rose, 'What next for children's services? Can policy at a local or national level have any significant impact on the outcomes for children and their families?', International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, Volume 19 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the attitudes towards, and use of, credit for people on the lowest incomes. It identified three borrower groups: survival borrowers (using less mainstream credit to meet day to day expenses); lifestyle borrowers (using less mainstream credit for one off expenses); and reluctant borrowers (those struggling with more mainstream credit that was acquired in better times, and now reluctant to borrow further). It said that many borrowers prioritized flexibility, control, and familiarity over absolute cost, but choice was also mediated by a lack of perceived or actual access to alternative forms of credit. It said that unmanageable debt triggered financial detriment and affected health and well-being and, although debt advice could be effective, many of the people interviewed had low awareness of the help and support available to them.
Source: Consumer Credit and Consumers in Vulnerable Circumstances, Financial Conduct Authority
Links: Report | FCA press release | Step Change press release
Date: 2014-Apr
A report examined the financial resilience of households in Britain. It said that 15 million people were falling behind on bills, almost 6 million were using credit to pay for essential costs, and 13 million had insufficient savings to cover expenses for a month if their income dropped by one-quarter. The report called for a range of responses, including a national strategy to address issues of personal debt, a better welfare safety net, and a framework of free debt advice services.
Source: Robbie de Santos, Life on the Edge: Towards more resilient family finances, StepChange Debt Charity
Links: Report | StepChange press release
Date: 2014-Apr
An article said that there was a 'near linear' relationship between the current poverty rate and the persistent poverty rate indicators across European Union countries. It explained how this relationship arose, and how a model could be used to predict persistent poverty rates from current poverty information. It discussed whether the EU's persistent poverty measure and the design of EU-SILC longitudinal data collection required modification.
Source: Stephen Jenkins and Philippe Van Kerm, 'The relationship between EU indicators of persistent and current poverty', Social Indicators Research, Volume 116 Number 2
Links: Abstract
See also: Stephen Jenkins and Philippe Van Kerm, The Relationship between EU Indicators of Persistent and Current Poverty, Discussion Paper 7071, Institute for the Study of Labor (Bonn)
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined multi-dimensional poverty in Europe, applying the adjusted head count ratio. It argued that this approach had significant advantages and allowed for the decomposition of multi-dimensional poverty in terms of dimensions of deprivation and socio-economic attributes.
Source: Christopher Whelan, Brian Nolan, and Bertrand Maitre, 'Multidimensional poverty measurement in Europe: an application of the adjusted headcount approach', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 24 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Apr
A think-tank report said that approximately 6.8 million people lived in poverty in the suburbs in England and Wales, that most people in poverty (57 per cent) lived in suburban areas, and that the levels of suburban poverty rose by 34 per cent between 2001 and 2011. It said that the situation could worsen as urban housing costs increased and welfare reforms took effect. Recommendations included: improvements to the suburban fabric (including sensitive increases in density to enable cheaper, more reliable transport, greater access to shops and services, and investment in the public realm); better support networks provided by the voluntary sector or the state; and the reversal of some welfare benefit changes to help people with disabilities.
Source: Paul Hunter, Poverty in Suburbia: A Smith Institute study into the growth of poverty in the suburbs of England and Wales, Smith Institute
Links: Report | Inside Housing report | New Statesman article
Date: 2014-Apr
An article examined a qualitative study involving young men in Northern Ireland aged 14-19 experiencing particular forms of exclusion. It said that the findings revealed a range of unmet social and psychological needs, the impact of sectarianism and segregation, and a paucity of support systems.
Source: Janeet Rondon, Karen Galway, Gerard Leavey, and James Campbell, 'Exploring the needs of socially excluded young men', Children & Society, Volume 28 Number 2
Links: Abstract
>Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the support for, and determinants of, individualistic explanations of poverty among Europeans. The level of support for the individualistic explanation of poverty varied between European nations. Welfare regime type was associated with individualistic explanations, along with short-term economic growth and social expenditures as well as individual-level demographic factors, perceived economic hardship, political affiliation, and egalitarian values.
Source: Johanna Kallio and Mikko Niemela, 'Who blames the poor? Multilevel evidence of support for and determinants of individualistic explanation of poverty in Europe', European Societies, Volume 16 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined poverty and anti-poverty policies in Scotland. It included chapters that presented the anti-poverty cases for both independence and the union, as well as lessons to be drawn from across Europe and beyond.
Source: John McKendrick, Gerry Mooney, John Dickie, Gill Scott, and Peter Kelly (eds), Poverty in Scotland 2014: The independence referendum and beyond, Child Poverty Action Group
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Mar
An article examined the potential role of community development finance institutions (CDFIs) in helping to reduce poverty, by providing finance to those who were financially excluded and removing a barrier to their acquisition of assets. A survey of around 360 households in 4 cities, carried out both before and after the 2008-09 recession, found that a major factor determining whether low-income households receiving CDFI loans were able to exit from poverty was their ability to save, which in turn was found to be determined by a variety of attitudinal and institutional factors, (including the 'rationality' of their coping strategies, the nature and extent of social networks, and the extent of their access to money advice). Some of these causal factors could be influenced by policy changes.
Source: Pamela Lenton and Paul Mosley, 'Financial exit routes from the "poverty trap": a study of four UK cities', Urban Studies, Volume 51 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Mar
A new book examined the concept of an Olympic 'legacy', focusing specifically on housing in London following the 2012 Olympic games. It argued there would be a range of both intended and unintended legacy outcomes and that there was an urgent need to revise strategies in order to achieve the originally intended impact. Taking a sociological approach, the book also examined issues relating to social class, gentrification, social polarization, and the extent to which social inclusion was reflected in housing legacies.
Source: Penny Bernstock, Olympic Housing: A critical review of London 2012's legacy, Ashgate Publications
Links: Summary
Date: 2014-Mar
A report examined how to define and measure resilience for public health purposes. Noting the complexity of the concept, it said that, although it might be possible to be resilient in the face of poverty and deprivation, successive periods of stress might introduce vulnerabilities that would erode resilience over longer timeframes. The report proposed a definition of resilience as 'the capacity for populations to endure, adapt and generate new ways of thinking and functioning in the context of change, uncertainty or adversity'.
Source: Pete Seaman, Valerie McNeice, Gregor Yates, and Jennifer McLean, Resilience for Public Health: Supporting transformation in people and communities, Glasgow Centre for Population Health
Links: Report | Briefing paper
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined the relationship between material deprivation and economic stress in European countries. Basic deprivation – an inability to enjoy customary standards of living – was critical in influencing economic stress levels. National income levels and inequality had no direct influence on economic stress. However, the impact of basic deprivation was stronger in countries with higher levels of income, indicating the crucial role of national reference groups. Contrary to the expectation that experiencing basic deprivation in a national context of high income inequality was likely to be particularly stressful, the consequences of such deprivation were most negative in low-inequality countries (that is, those where it was clearer that such deprivation was avoidable).
Source: Christopher Whelan and Bertrand Maitre, 'Material deprivation, economic stress, and reference groups in Europe: An analysis of EU-SILC 2009', European Sociological Review, Volume 29 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
An article examined whether material deprivation was an important determinant of health inequalities in adolescents in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Source: James Fagg, Sarah Curtis, Steven Cummins, Stephen Stansfeld, and Amelie Quesnel-Vallee, 'Neighbourhood deprivation and adolescent self-esteem: exploration of the 'socio-economic equalisation in youth' hypothesis in Britain and Canada', Social Science & Medicine, Volume 91
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Feb
The government began consultation on its proposed child poverty strategy for 2014-17. The paper said that good progress had been made to date and that the government remained committed to the target of ending child poverty in the United Kingdom by 2020. It said that actions would be taken to address the root causes of poverty and set out aims to: support families into work and to increase their earnings; improve living standards and reduce living costs; and raise educational attainment. It said that employers, local agencies, and the devolved administrations would have a part to play in achieving the aims of the strategy. The government also published an evidence review alongside the strategy, which examined the causes of poverty and the barriers faced by families in improving their position. The consultation would close on 22 May 2014.
Source 1: Consultation on the Child Poverty Strategy 2014-17, Cm 8782, Department for Work and Pensions, TSO
Links: Consultation document | DWP press release | 4Children press release | Childrens Society press release | Citizens Advice press release | CSAN press release | Gingerbread press release | JRF press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Inside Housing report
Source 2: An Evidence Review of the Drivers of Child Poverty for Families in Poverty Now and for Poor Children Growing Up to Be Poor Adults, Cm 8781, Department for Work and Pensions, TSO
Links: Report | DWP press release
Date: 2014-Feb
A report examined whole-family support in Scotland for families facing multiple disadvantage. It said that their lives were often complex and that the best services worked with that complexity, but policy, such as the 'spare room subsidy', often worked against it. The report made multiple recommendations for policy makers, including: greater support for full time carers; support to ensure that benefits entitlements were claimed; and the abolition of the 'spare room subsidy'.
Source: Duncan O Leary and Jo Salter, Ties That Bind, Demos
Links: Report | Summary | Guardian report
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined stigma and shame as central features of the experience of poverty in the United Kingdom and Japan. The two societies had very different social values and forms of welfare, which were at times responsible for contrasting experiences of shame: but stigma and shame performed important functions within all capitalist societies as a means to legitimate the continued existence of poverty.
Source: Eileen Sutton, Simon Pemberton, Eldin Fahmy, and Yuko Tamiya, 'Stigma, shame and the experience of poverty in Japan and the United Kingdom', Social Policy and Society, Volume 13 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
An article described a longitudinal ethnographic study of 20 young people who had been officially classified as not in education, employment or training (NEET). It analyzed how young people comprehended, used, and encountered places and spaces relating to residence, work, and learning; and the role of 'spatialities' in reproducing or interrupting aspects of social exclusion and marginality. Young people often felt isolated and lacked control over their lives: this resulted in alienation from authority and community that tended to further marginalize them, distancing them from meaningful contexts of education, training, and work.
Source: Ron Thompson, Lisa Russell, and Robin Simmons, 'Space, place and social exclusion: an ethnographic study of young people outside education and employment', Journal of Youth Studies, Volume 17 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
A report reviewed research concerning sexual orientation and poverty in the United Kingdom. Synthesizing literature from North America, Europe and the United Kingdom, and drawing on the United Kingdom Household Longitudinal Study, the report said that the economic impact of sexuality-related stigma, harassment and discrimination occurred when institutions, such as employers, schools, and local authorities, excluded people based on their sexuality. It said that there was evidence of material disadvantage for gay men, and bisexual men and women, but poverty experienced by lesbians was more likely to be associated with their gender per se. The report discussed a range of issues related to poverty and sexuality.
Source: SC Noah Uhrig, An Examination of Poverty and Sexual Orientation in the UK, Working Paper 2014-02, Institute for Social and Economic Research
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jan
A report updated previous projections of child and working-age poverty in Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom from 2012-13 to 2017-18, and in 2020-21. It said that in the United Kingdom there would be an overall increase over the decade in the number of children in poverty of up to 1.4 million, depending on which measure was used.
Source: James Browne, Andrew Hood, and Robert Joyce, Child and Working-Age Poverty in Northern Ireland Over the Next Decade: An update, Institute for Fiscal Studies
Links: Report
Date: 2014-Jan
A report provided the initial findings from a research project that examined the resilience of households in Northern Ireland. Drawing on baseline survey data and qualitative interviews with households across four neighbourhoods, it outlined a range of challenges and the strategies used by households to 'get by'. The report said that, for these households, resilience was not about 'bouncing back', 'flourishing', or 'thriving' in the face of adversity, but was about not being overcome, 'getting-by', enduring, surviving, just 'getting on with things', and 'keeping their heads above the water'. The report noted the susceptibility of households to future stressors, such as welfare reform, especially those on means-tested benefits or with long-term illness or disability. Place, and relationships with family and friends, appeared to be important for resilience and future work would investigate this further. The report highlighted issues around the measurement of resilience and noted the importance of qualitative work.
Source: Paul Hickman, Elaine Batty, Chris Dayson, and Jenny Muir, Getting-by, Coping and Resilience in Difficult Times: Initial findings, Centre for Regional, Economic and Social Research (Sheffield Hallam University)
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined the ongoing potential for neighbourhood regeneration in a period of austerity. It examined two emerging forms of neighbourhood governance, in two urban local authorities, and compared them with findings from earlier research in the case study sites. It said that the emerging forms differed significantly in design and purpose and, while it was still too early to assess fully, their capacity to promote neighbourhood regeneration in a period of austerity appeared limited. It concluded that these early findings suggested greater polarity between, and the further containment of, deprived neighbourhoods.
Source: Nick Bailey and Madeleine Pill, 'The potential for neighbourhood regeneration in a period of austerity: changing forms of neighbourhood governance in two cities', Journal of Urban Regeneration and Renewal, Volume 7 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan
A report examined trends in the numbers of United Kingdom households living below the minimum income standard (MIS) threshold up to early 2012, based on the data from the Family Resources Survey. It said that there had been an overall deterioration in living standards, with the proportion of people in households below MIS having increased by one fifth between 2008/9 and 2011/12. Single people of working age had seen the largest increase, especially for those under 35, and two thirds of people in lone parent families were said to be living below the MIS.
Source: Matt Padley and Donald Hirsch, Households Below a Minimum Income Standard: 2008/9 to 2011/12, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Summary | JRF press release | Gingerbread press release | SNP press release | University of Loughborough press release
Date: 2014-Jan
An article examined quality of life indicators in London, England. Noting the spatial inequality within the city, it said that quality of life distribution was influenced by deprivation, health and educational inequalities, but these were masked at a pure 'inner' and 'outer' London comparison. It considered methodological insights and policy implications.
Source: Paul Higgins, Josep Campanera, and Alexandre Nobajas, 'Quality of life and spatial inequality in London', European Urban and Regional Studies, Volume 21 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2014-Jan