International Perspectives

At the second Townsend Memorial conference, leading international researchers examined poverty measurement around the world. Hear from key speakers on why poverty measurement matters for tackling poverty.

Video transcript

What is poverty?

How poor is too poor? What does a person need to participate in society in Britain in the 21st century? What is the minimum standard of living to which everyone should be entitled? Who falls below?

These aren't just abstract, academic questions - they are key to people's life chances and opportunities. They provide a basis for redistributing income and resources through the tax and benefit system. They are essential for determining questions of fairness.

So how should we measure poverty? Key government measures take 60% of median income as the poverty line. But while this is easy to measure and does provide useful comparisons over time, it is essentially arbitrary and is currently being questioned (see “ Redefining Poverty”).

The PSE studies, by contrast, look directly at living standards and ask people what they think are necessities for living in the UK to establish a publicly agreed minimum standard. Those who have no choice but to fall below these minimum standards are defined as being in 'poverty'. Using this consensual approach to measuring poverty, the results of this research will provide an independent assessment of the impact of government policies.

What is poverty? has more information and discussion on the measurement of poverty and social exclusion.

 

Researching poverty

This website is being developed to report research into poverty, both in the UK and internationally. We will be concentrating on research that uses direct measures of deprivation and social exclusion rather than income measures. In particular, we will be following the research of a major new study into poverty and social exclusion in the UK funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, PSE 2011.

This important research project will provide a new understanding of what it is like to live in poverty in the UK today and how this interacts with social exclusion. It builds on the methodology developed in the earlier Breadline Britain and PSE studies, which pioneered the 'consensual' or 'perceived deprivation' approach to measuring poverty.

 Research has further details on the current research project as well as past surveys and research in this and related areas.

 

PSE launched in Hong Kong

Hong Kong and UK researchers have just launched an international collaboration to measure poverty and social exclusion in Hong Kong. The new research project, building on the PSE methodology, will improve the measurement of poverty, deprivation, social exclusion and standard of living in the Chinese context, and enable international comparisons. Read more

Necessities survey

The Poverty and Social Exclusion surveys pioneered using public opinion to set minimum living standards. We are again asking people which items and activities from a range of aspects of our living standards should be seen as necessities.

It would be great if you could take part. Any personal details will be kept completely confidential.

PSE News

Children's well being
Around half a million children in the UK in the eight to 15 age range have a low sense of well-being at any one time according to a major research study by The Children's Society.
Niemietz review
A New Understanding of Poverty by Kristian Niemietz suggests decoupling poverty measures from economic growth. Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack take issue.
Redefining poverty?
The Government, having missed the legal deadline as required by the 2010 Child Poverty Act, is expected to publish its Child Poverty Strategy shortly. In the meantime, there has been much speculation about its plans. Will it downgrade the goal of abolishing financial poverty? Stewart Lansley sets the background 
The ‘squeezed middle’ and the ‘poor’
Middle and low income households have missed out on increases in prosperity in the last three decades with the gains going to the rich. As a result the numbers vulnerable to poverty are rising, argues Stewart Lansley.

See here for all news stories

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