An annual report was published on the state of poverty and social exclusion, covering issues including: low income, worklessness and debt, ill-health, poor education, and problems in communities. Although the economic recession had certainly had an impact, several key indicators – particularly regarding low income, unemployment, and debt – had already been getting worse before the recession began.
Source: Tom MacInnes, Peter Kenway and Anushree Parekh, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2009, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | JRF press release | CPAG press release | Guardian report
Date: 2009-Dec
An article drew on media reporting of poverty during the Glasgow East by-election in July 2008 to examine some of the ways in which representations of people experiencing poverty and disadvantaged places continued to be informed by ideas of individual inadequacy, dependency, and disorder.
Source: Gerry Mooney, 'The "broken society" election: class hatred and the politics of poverty and place in Glasgow East', Social Policy and Society, Volume 8 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Oct
A study found that the proportion of people living in low-income households was slightly lower in Northern Ireland than England or Wales, and similar to Scotland when measured after housing costs had been deducted. This proportion had not changed in the previous three years.
Source: New Policy Institute, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland 2009, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Links: Summary | JRF press release
Date: 2009-Sep
An article examined the Labour government's record on reducing poverty, inequality, and social exclusion; and whether the most recent White Paper on social mobility (published in January 2009) represented a serious last attempt to renew the equal opportunities agenda.
Source: Kitty Stewart, 'Labour's record on inequality and the New Opportunities White Paper', Political Quarterly, Volume 80 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Aug
A report examined social exclusion among people aged 60 and over who experienced multiple 'risk markers', using data from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing and the British Household Panel Survey.
Source: Elizabeth Becker and Richard Boreham, Understanding the Risks of Social Exclusion Across the Life Course: Older age, Social Exclusion Task Force/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1234)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report used data from the Families and Children Study to explore social exclusion among families with children. 18 markers of risk were constructed from the data, including income poverty, lack of social contact, and overcrowded accommodation.
Source: Paul Oroyemi, Giacomo Damioli, Matt Barnes and Tim Crosier, Understanding the Risks of Social Exclusion Across the Life Course: Families with children, Social Exclusion Task Force/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1234)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report examined the nature, distribution, and dynamics of multidimensional disadvantage among working-age adults without dependent children, based on analysis of the General Household Survey and the British Household Panel Survey.
Source: Eldin Fahmy, Ruth Levitas, David Gordon and Demi Patsios, Understanding the Risks of Social Exclusion Across the Life Course: Working age adults without dependent children, Social Exclusion Task Force/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1234)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
A report examined the proportion of young people who experienced different forms of risk leading to social exclusion, and how this varied for young people in different circumstances; how risks overlapped, and which young people were prone to multiple disadvantages; how risks varied over time; and what drove social exclusion for this group.
Source: Linda Cusworth, Jonathan Bradshaw, Bob Coles, Antonia Keung and Yekaterina Chzhen, Understanding the Risks of Social Exclusion Across the Life Course: Youth and Young Adulthood, Social Exclusion Task Force/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1234)
Links: Report
Date: 2009-Jul
An article examined why the family nurse partnership (FNP) had been promoted as a means of tackling social exclusion. (The FNP consists of visits by nurses to low-income first-time mothers, focused on teaching parenthood and encouraging mothers back into education and/or into employment.) The FNP was part of a new approach to social exclusion designed to identify quickly the most 'at-risk' households, individuals, and children so that interventions could be targeted more effectively. There was a 'considerable amount of ambiguity' about the relationship between specific risk factors and being 'at risk of social exclusion'.
Source: Anneliese Dodds, 'Families "at risk" and the family nurse partnership: the intrusion of risk into social exclusion policy', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 38 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2009-Jul
A report examined the impact that poverty had on children's lives. Although lack of income was an important aspect of poverty, it was also about stress, poor housing, lack of facilities, inadequate infrastructure, fear of crime, and problems associated with living in a deprived area. Poverty prevented people fulfilling personal ambitions and exploiting opportunities; it generated poor physical and mental health; and it absorbed the time and resources required for social and political engagement. Existing definitions, models, and measurements did not reflect the dynamic, multi-dimensional nature of poverty. The report proposed a new model designed to help understand poverty's various dimensions; and it called for the same techniques to be used to improve policies.
Source: Mark Tomlinson and Robert Walker, Coping with Complexity: Child and adult poverty, Child Poverty Action Group (020 7837 7979)
Date: 2009-Feb
A new book used evidence from the national evaluation of the Children's Fund to illustrate and explore the experiences of children and families who were most marginalized. It considered the historical context of approaches to child welfare, and presented a new framework for understanding and developing preventative polices and practice within the context of social exclusion.
Source: Kate Morris, Marian Barnes and Paul Mason, Children, Families and Social Exclusion: New approaches to prevention, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2009-Feb