In his final report to the UN, Philip Alston, the former Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and...
Europe
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12/03/2013
'Underclass' of low-wage service jobs in Europe
Social and economic change in Europe is driving the creation of low-wage service jobs that constitute a new 'underclass', according to a study funded by the European Commission.
The study's author examines trends in low-wage service employment across 19 European countries between 1992 and 2010, in order to find out whether the expansion and poor quality of these jobs are both as inevitable and inter-related as previous studies have suggested.
Category: Reports -
27/02/2013
Children at greatest risk of poverty in EU
Children are the age group in Europe at the highest risk of poverty or social exclusion, according to a new statistical report from the European Commission. And the relative risk for children in the UK is greater than the average for EU countries as a whole.
The conclusions in the report are based on figures from EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) for 2011, the latest year available.
Category: Reports -
27/02/2013
Unequal access to essential services in Europe
There are marked variations in people's access to essential services in Europe, hampering their ability to participate fully in society, according to a new study published by the European Commission.
The study draws on 2009–2010 data included in the EU-SILC (Statistics on Income and Living Conditions) for four areas: healthcare, public transport, banking and postal services, and childcare. In each case it defines access in terms of both affordability and the convenience of the location from which services are provided.
Category: Reports -
25/02/2013
Basic child income could take 800,000 out of poverty
A universal payment of €50 per month per child aged under six could take 800,000 children out of poverty across Europe, according to a study commissioned by the European Commission into the potential effects of introducing a child basic income.
The researchers made use of EUROMOD, the tax-benefit microsimulation model for the EU, to look at the distributional implications (within and between countries) of an illustrative child basic income operated and funded at EU level.
Category: Reports -
20/02/2013
European Commission child poverty strategy
EU member states are being urged to tackle child poverty and social exclusion through multi-dimensional approaches, in an important strategy statement issued by the European Commission. The statement accompanies a wider package of proposals on social investment in the EU.
Category: Reports -
20/02/2013
European Commission child poverty strategy
EU member states are being urged to tackle child poverty and social exclusion through multi-dimensional approaches, in an important strategy statement issued by the European Commission. The statement accompanies a wider package of proposals on social investment in the EU.
Category: Reports -
28/01/2013
Public put older people's needs before children
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. And it warns that growing inequalities in electoral participation risk further entrenching this position.
Category: Reports -
28/01/2013
Austerity in UK ‘hits high-income households hardest’
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.
Researchers compared the distributional effects of 'fiscal consolidation' measures in nine European Union countries (including the UK) that have experienced large budget deficits following the financial crisis of the late 2000s and subsequent economic downturn.
Category: Reports -
21/01/2013
‘Strong link’ between social capital and poverty
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 paper looks at official European Union data sources, focusing on two sets of variables: one serving as a proxy for community and household social capital endowment, and a supplementary set describing household economic well-being.
Category: Reports -
21/01/2013
EU strategy ‘failing to deliver’ on poverty
Anti-poverty campaigners have sharply criticised the European Union's record on tackling poverty. A meeting in Brussels between campaigners and EU decision-makers has heard accounts of how widespread austerity measures are forcing people into poverty – at the same time as driving those already in poverty into deeper and more desperate situations.
A report of the meeting in September 2012, described as 'very intense', has now been published.
Category: Reports
