£8 billion will be spent on reacting to the problems of 'troubled families' in England over the five years to 2015, rather than addressing them proactively, according to an analysis from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

It may take another decade before low-to-middle income families see their living standards return to pre-recession levels, the Resolution Foundation think tank is warning.

The justification frequently given for extremely high pay rates among company executives is a 'self-serving myth', according to the findings of a think-tank study.

Nearly 1 in 5 children who are living materially deprived lives – 2.3 million in total – are excluded from the government's headline measure of relative income poverty, according to a report from the Policy Exchange think tank.

The government has defended its plans for the  new universal credit system, saying 'considerable effort and resource' has been committed to developing tailored arrangements that will help vulnerable claimants cope with the changes needed.

New evidence on the growth in pay at the very top of the wage distribution has been presented in a paper by researchers at the LSE's Centre for Economic Performance.

People from minority-ethnic groups in Northern Ireland face problems of low pay and child poverty, according to a new study from the Joseph Rowntree Federation.

by Nick Bailey and Mike Tomlinson

The Department of Work and Pensions has just published the results of an online poll as part of its contribution to its own consultation on measuring child poverty. But, like the consultation itself, it is deeply flawed.

The number of people in the world living on less than $1.25 a day could be cut by 1 billion by as early as 2025, according to a research paper produced by the World Bank.

Low-income families in England will see their council tax bills rise by up to £600 a year from April 2013 as a result of council tax benefit 'reform', according to a think-tank analysis.

Around 200,000 children are living in poverty in Wales, or one in three of the total, according to a new report from the Save the Children charity. In addition, as many as 90,000 live in severe poverty. On both counts, Wales has the highest rate of child poverty of any nation in the UK.

As many as nine out of ten people say children can be described as living in poverty if their parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol, according to an opinion survey carried out for the government. This is more than the proportion who say lack of money is a factor in child poverty.

Some groups of claimants should get their benefits in the form of prepaid cards, a think-tank report has argued. The Demos report says this would increase financial inclusion, encourage 'responsible money management', and reward savings behaviour.

Nearly half of all households in Great Britain say the level of their financial debts constitutes a 'burden', according to a report from the Office for National Statistics. The report tracks changes in the position between 2006–2008 and 2008–2010.

The 'stigmatisation' and 'demonisation' of people in poverty must stop, says a Church Action on Poverty report.

High-income households in the UK have lost proportionately more than those in poverty as a result of austerity measures, according to new research published by the European Commission.

Public opinion prioritises benefits for older people at the expense of families and children, according to a think-tank paper examining attitudes in the United Kingdom, Denmark and France.

Older pensioners do not have fewer needs compared with younger pensioners, a Joseph Rowntree Foundation study has found – contrary to suggestions that because they lead more restricted lives they also have reduced financial needs.

by Stephen Crossley and John Veit-Wilson

On Monday 21st of January, in response to a question about the government’s commitment to reducing child poverty, the Secretary of State for Work and Pension talked of a:

Tackling poverty among lone mothers can play a crucial role in reducing the lifetime inequality in incomes faced by women, according to an analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

A sense of economic and political 'abandonment' has been highlighted in a Joseph Rowntree Foundation study of how the recession is affecting disadvantaged communities in Scotland.

Reductions in global poverty in recent years have had more to do with China's economic expansion than with the Millennium Development Goals agreed by the United Nations in 2000, according to a briefing paper from an American think tank.

Anti-poverty campaigners have sharply criticised the European Union's record on tackling poverty.

'Shocking' inequalities have been revealed in Scottish society, in a state-of-the-nation report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. A boy born in a wealthy area of Scotland will live 14 years longer than a boy born into poverty, it finds.

There is a strong association between social capital and household economic well-being, especially as far as poverty perception is concerned, according to a new Italian research paper.

The government's consultation paper on Measuring Child Poverty is ‘conceptually completely inept and confused’, argues Professor Jonathan Bradshaw in the PSE  research team’s response to the consultation.

A series of 'living wage city deals' could help the fight against low pay, according to a joint think-tank report.

The annual incomes of the world's 100 richest people could end global poverty four times over, according to a report from Oxfam. The report was published as world leaders prepared to meet at the annual economic summit in Davos, Switzerland.

The government's public spending cuts are targeted at people in poverty and at disabled people, according to think-tank analysis. It accuses the government of having made no effort to understand the cumulative impact of the cuts on minority groups, especially those with the greatest needs.

14 million people in the UK were at risk of poverty and social exclusion  in 2011, according to a new report from the Office for National Statistics. The report also looks at how the UK compares with other EU countries on a range of poverty indicators, and at recent trends over time.

We are developing a list of websites interested in poverty and social exclusion which regularly publish new research or comment on policy. It covers organisations, academic institutions, research centres, and academic and social policy journalists’ blogs.

The top 10 per cent of the population owns 100 times more wealth than the bottom 10 per cent, a briefing paper has highlighted. The paper was prepared for the University of Birmingham’s new Policy Commission on the Distribution of Wealth, launched in September 2012.

The government has admitted its policy of capping increases in benefits will result in around 200,000 more children being in relative income poverty by 2015-16. The information has emerged in a written answer in Parliament from a junior DWP minister.

People living in poverty in Greater Manchester are facing 'hunger, isolation, fear and frustration', according to a report from an independent poverty commission.

The UK government's programme of benefits cuts is a 'toxic mix' that will cause a substantial increase in poverty in Scotland, according to a new report. As well as looking at the impact of the cuts, the report attempts to identify ways in which the worst effects can be lessened.

Some lone parents are skipping meals to ensure their children don't go without, according to a study examining experiences of living on a low income in a rural Scottish community. Stress over financial problems for lone parents is being compounded by fears about the impact of benefit cuts.

Fewer than half of senior local council officers in Scotland feel that child poverty is a political priority in their authority, according to a survey by the Save the Children charity.

The US population has worse health than comparable 'rich' countries, according to a new report.

MPs have voted to approve the controversial capping of benefit increases over the next three years.

by Meg Huby and Jonathan Bradshaw

The coalition government’s proposal to strip nearly £4 billion from the welfare bill by capping increases in benefit levels to 1%, well below inflation, marks another shift  towards a welfare system that is no longer fit for its fundamental purpose of protecting those in need.

High childcare costs are making it impossible for some of the poorest families to work their way out of poverty, says the Barnardo's charity in a new report.

Trade unions are warning the government not to count on continuing voter support for capping benefit rises. A new poll commissioned by the TUC has found that those people least able to give accurate answers to basic questions about benefits are the most likely to back cuts.

Over one-fifth of the world's population – some 1.5 billion people – live in poverty according to national poverty measures, says a United Nations think-tank study. This is significantly higher than the extent of poverty arrived at using international poverty measures.

Millions of households on low to middle incomes are exposed to worryingly high levels of personal debt, according to a report from the Resolution Foundation think tank.

How can we tell whether any differences between different groups, such as men and women, in their attitudes to necessities is down to chance or not? This statistical note explains why the PSE team uses 'relative risk' rather than 'hypothesis testing'.

As many as one in six employees in the European Union – 17 per cent of the total – were low paid in 2010, according to new statistics released by Eurostat. This proportion varied significantly between member states.

by John Welshman, Lancaster University

Legislation is being proposed that would force claimants to use benefit money for 'responsible' spending only. The Conservative MP behind the Welfare Cash Card Bill, Alec Shelbrooke, is acting in a personal capacity – although he also serves as a junior government minister.

The latest round of energy price rises is likely to have pushed a further 300,000 households in England into fuel poverty, according to a report by an official advisory body. It also says that government action thus far is 'completely inadequate' to tackle the scale of the problem.