Conference

Second Peter Townsend Memorial Conference

Measuring Poverty: The State of the Art
Leading international researchers gathered in Bristol on January 22 and 23, 2011, to examine poverty measurement around the world. Below you can hear from participants at the conference.

Video transcript

Conference presentations provides background on the speakers and links to their presentation slides.
Over the two days of the conference, speakers from across the globe, on a region by region basis, examined how their own country measured poverty and its application for policy purposes.

Measuring Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK

David Gordon: Introduction to Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK

Ruth Levitas: Measuring Social Exclusion

Jonathan Bradshaw: Measuring Child Poverty

Eldin Fahmy: Developing Poverty and Social Exclusion Measures

Poverty Measurement in Europe

Brian Nolan: Poverty Measurement in Ireland

Björn Halleröd: Poverty Measurement in Sweden

Veli-Matti Ritakallio: Poverty Measurement in Finland

Poverty Measurement in Africa

Madior Fall: Poverty Measurement in Francophone Africa

David McLennan: Poverty Measurement in South Africa

Poverty Measurement in America

Pedro Sáinz: Poverty Measurement in Latin America

Julio Boltvinik: Multidimensional Poverty Measurement in Mexico

Poverty Measurement in Oceania

Melissa Wong: Measurement and Change in Deprivation and Exclusion in Australia

Bryan Perry: Measuring Living Standards in New Zealand

Poverty Measurement in Asia

Aya Abe: Poverty Measurement in Japan

Daniel He-chiun Liou: Poverty Measurement in Taiwan

 

 

Peter Townsend

Peter Townsend

Peter Townsend made many seminal contributions to social science among which was a paradigm shift in poverty measurement methodology, developed in the 1968/69 Poverty in the United Kingdom Survey.

The First Peter Townsend Memorial Conference was held in the Conway Hall, London on 20 November 2009.

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.

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