Poverty and Social Exclusion
Reporting research, examining policy, stimulating debate
Research
Academic research provides independent and detailed information on the extent and nature of poverty and social exclusion that is not available from government surveys and statistics. Without accurate measures of the extent of poverty and the nature of deprivation, the impact of government policies on the poor cannot be assessed and changes over time cannot be tracked and monitored. It can help to drive new policies based on evidence rather than assumption.
Research also, and just as importantly, offers new insights into the causes and consequences of poverty, the relationships between different dimensions of deprivation and how deprivation and social exclusion relate to wider social and economic trends. In ‘Who are the Poor?’ you can hear from key speakers at the second International Townsend Conference on some of their recent findings.
In Research, we will be reporting research into poverty past and present from both the UK and internationally. We will cover three main areas:
- PSE 2011 will follow the progress of the current research into poverty and social exclusion in the UK, 'Poverty and social exclusion in the UK: the 2011 survey', which is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). This study is the largest of its kind ever carried out in the UK and builds on the earlier PSE research.
- PSE past results will provide access to the past results of the earlier surveys, which developed the consensual method of measuring poverty: Poverty and Social Exclusion in Britain, 1999 and PSE in Northern Ireland, 2002/3; and the Breadline Britain surveys in 1983 and 1990. When the results of the current research are in, we will give access to these results. This will enable changes over time to be tracked from 1983 to 2011 on a comparable basis.
- Other research will report related research into poverty, deprivation and social exclusion both in the UK and internationally. We will be concentrating on research using the 'consensual' approach to measuring poverty. But we will also track other research in this area and in the related areas of inequality and life chances.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
PSE 2011 is a major collaboration between the University of Bristol, Heriot-Watt University, The Open University, Queen's University Belfast, University of Glasgow and the University of York working with the National Centre for Social Research and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.
An ESRC Research Programme
