One Fifty years of poverty in the UK
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Joanna Mack
Abstract
This chapter examines fifty years of poverty measurement, in particular the development of deprivation-based measures from Townsend’s definition of being ‘excluded from ordinary patterns’ of behaviour through Mack and Lansley’s idea of ‘socially-perceived necessities’ to wider frameworks based around Sen’s concept of ‘capabilities’. It argues that these developments have contributed to a widespread acceptance that poverty is relative, with what is seen as inadequate living standards changing as society changes. The chapter charts trends in deprivation and income poverty, and their growing divergence. While both measures reflected the sharp rise income inequality in the 1980s, in this millennium deprivation-based measures have continued to rise while relative income poverty has stabilised. This indicates that deprivation measures better reflect the adverse impact of stagnating wages, rising insecurity and declining public provision. The chapter concludes that poverty research needs to be firmly positioned within wider debates about growing economic and social inequalities.
Abstract
This chapter examines fifty years of poverty measurement, in particular the development of deprivation-based measures from Townsend’s definition of being ‘excluded from ordinary patterns’ of behaviour through Mack and Lansley’s idea of ‘socially-perceived necessities’ to wider frameworks based around Sen’s concept of ‘capabilities’. It argues that these developments have contributed to a widespread acceptance that poverty is relative, with what is seen as inadequate living standards changing as society changes. The chapter charts trends in deprivation and income poverty, and their growing divergence. While both measures reflected the sharp rise income inequality in the 1980s, in this millennium deprivation-based measures have continued to rise while relative income poverty has stabilised. This indicates that deprivation measures better reflect the adverse impact of stagnating wages, rising insecurity and declining public provision. The chapter concludes that poverty research needs to be firmly positioned within wider debates about growing economic and social inequalities.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures iv
- Glossary viii
- Notes on contributors xii
- Acknowledgements xv
- Introduction 1
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Resources
- Fifty years of poverty in the UK 27
- Living standards in the UK 57
- Severe poverty and destitution 91
- Poverty, local services and austerity 113
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Participation
- Social participation and social support 137
- Employment, poverty and social exclusion 159
- Poverty, social exclusion and civic engagement 179
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Quality of life
- Poverty and health: thirty years of progress? 203
- Housing and the living environment 225
- Poverty and social harm: challenging discourses of risk, resilience and choice 245
- Financial inclusion, financial stress and debt 267
- The poverty of well-being 289
-
Bringing it together
- The multidimensional analysis of social exclusion 311
- Conclusions and emerging themes 343
- Index 363
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Contents iii
- List of tables and figures iv
- Glossary viii
- Notes on contributors xii
- Acknowledgements xv
- Introduction 1
-
Resources
- Fifty years of poverty in the UK 27
- Living standards in the UK 57
- Severe poverty and destitution 91
- Poverty, local services and austerity 113
-
Participation
- Social participation and social support 137
- Employment, poverty and social exclusion 159
- Poverty, social exclusion and civic engagement 179
-
Quality of life
- Poverty and health: thirty years of progress? 203
- Housing and the living environment 225
- Poverty and social harm: challenging discourses of risk, resilience and choice 245
- Financial inclusion, financial stress and debt 267
- The poverty of well-being 289
-
Bringing it together
- The multidimensional analysis of social exclusion 311
- Conclusions and emerging themes 343
- Index 363
