Poverty and Social Exclusion in the United Kingdom
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bristol
Department Name: Sch for Policy Studies
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Grace Kelly (Author)
(2013)
Measuring Poverty
Jonathan Bradshaw (Author)
(2013)
From poverty to happiness
Jonathan Bradshaw (Author)
(2013)
Measuring child poverty
David Gordon (Author)
(2013)
There May be Trouble Ahead? Poverty, Exclusion & Welfare Reform
Stewart Lansley (Author)
(2013)
The Inequality Crisis
Alex Boen (Co-Author)
(2013)
ESRC Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK - Statistical Briefing Note No.3 Harmonised UK Omnibus 2012
Ruth Levitas (Author)
(2013)
Troubled Families: misrepresenting poverty
Ruth Levitas (Author)
(2013)
Beyond The Foodbank
Abe A
(2013)
Comparing Public Perceptions of the Necessities of Life across Two Societies: Japan and the United Kingdom
in Social Policy and Society
Gabi Kent (Author)
(2013)
PSE UK Findings
| Description | UK social scientists are acknowledged world leaders in poverty measurement and PSE-UK has helped maintain this pre-eminence. The new UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a requirement for all countries to measure multidimensional poverty: the PSE methodology provides the only consistent way of doing this globally. It produces accurate, reliable and socially realistic poverty measures and incorporates the views of the public into the definition of poverty. It thereby enhances democracy and influences the public debate and legislation concerning poverty. For example, David Walker, Head of Policy, Academy of Social Sciences, argued: "[This] study hit the ground just when the Cameron government has been trying to revise and rescind conventional definitions of poverty. Their work on a minimum standard has thus been especially influential. here was strong evidence about what the public actually thinks is acceptable. This is reflexive social research at its best as the original findings get fed into the maw of political and policy debate and the public see their own beliefs refracted and debated." There has been widespread academic dissemination in books, peer refereed journal articles (including two Special Journal Issues) and in over 100 conference papers and talks. A mainstream book, Breadline Britain - The Rise of Mass Poverty, was well received and extensively promoted. A Journal of Social Policy review of the PSE academic book, Families and Poverty argued: "its emphasis upon relationships and human interaction gives policy makers richer evidence...around concepts of social, material and economic wellbeing." PSE results are used as a primary data source in key reports which have influenced UK policy decisions. The PSE has also had a significant international impact: PSE-based questions and methods have been adopted by the governments of Mexico, New Zealand, Somalia, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Uganda. Several hundred outputs from the PSE project did not transfer correctly from the old RCUK ROS system to ResearchFish. Detals of these outputs can be found at http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk/projects?ref=ES/G035784/1 |
| Exploitation Route | This is being done through a number of co-funded research projects with national and international partners, including: 1. 2011 to 2012 State-of-the-Art Measurement of Poverty and Social Exclusion: Comparison of UK and Japan Seminars (£30,000 ESRC & JSPS Collaborative Grants, with National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo) RES-805-26-0015, http://www.bristol.ac.uk/poverty/ESRCJSPS/uk/index.html 2. 2011 to 2014 Poverty and Social Exclusion in Hong Kong. (£137,000 ESRC & RGC (Hong Kong) Bilateral Collaborative Grant, with the Hong Kong Institute of Education) RES-000 - 22-4400 http://www.poverty.hk/ 3. 2013 to 2014 - Poverty in the UK: advancing paradata analysis and open access - (£153,000 - ESRC / ES/F035098/1) 4. 2015-2016 Aiding Poverty Data and Analysis Capacity Development in the Pacific (£20,000 ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grant) 5. 2012 to 2013 Scottish Government boost to Poverty & Social Exclusion survey (£78,500 for expanded sample in rural Scotland and associated analysis) 6. 2011 to 2015 Second Network for the Analysis of EU-SILC (Net-SILC2) (total project funding is €1 million Euro) 7. 2012 to 2017 Trends and Implications of Poverty and Social Disadvantages in Hong Kong: A Multi-disciplinary and Longitudinal Study ($3.5 million HK$ Strategic Public Policy Research Funding (SPPR) |
| Sectors | Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| URL | http://www.poverty.ac.uk/ |
| Description | The aim of PSE-UK project was to advance the 'state of the art' of the measurement of poverty and exclusion, providing reliable and accurate scientific evidence to policy makers and the public on the effectiveness of anti-poverty policies. The PSE-UK has had an outstanding impact on policy and practice in three respects: • its methodological contribution to the measurement of poverty has had significant UK and international policy and practice impact: • expert evidence and advice to multiple UK policy communities at national and regional levels; • broad dissemination strategy, combining scientific excellence with accessibility. PSE-UK questions and methodology have been adopted in all the main instruments used to measure poverty in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and England. PSE research has been used to update both the Welsh and Scottish Indices of Material Deprivation. The European Commission requested input from the PSE-UK team in revising the official EU2020 poverty target. Its Task Force on Material Deprivation concluded 'The work is considered technically as providing a "gold standard" for the list of MD variables and indicator's construction and has unanimous support'. They recommended that deprivation indicators be collected in the EU-SILC surveys in every country 2013-15, including the UK. PSE-UK based measures were adopted by UNICEF to produce a child deprivation index in 'rich countries', again including the UK and with major coverage in UK media. The Scottish Government funded a boost sample for the PSE survey as well as a dissemination conference (August 2014). The conference was opened by Nicola Sturgeon MSP (First Minister of Scotland), who described its impact: "PSE [is] essential to understanding the fine grain of what it means to be poor in this period of history. Poverty is not simply about living on low incomes, but being unable to have what we all consider the basic necessities of life. PSE is best placed to help us understand this." Impact through expert evidence and advice includes responses to ten UK Government Consultations serving on a wide range of advisory groups and presenting oral evidence about child poverty measures to the Scrutiny Committee for the Welfare Reform and Work Bill in the House of Commons. PSE-UK team members provided expert advice for the development of Scottish Government's anti-poverty strategy and welfare reform work, including briefing Naomi Eisenstadt, First Minister's Independent Advisor on Poverty and Inequality In Northern Ireland, PSE team members collaborated with the Department of Social and Family Affairs, Ireland and the Central Statistics Office looking at poverty measurement on an all-Ireland basis. They were consulted on the Northern Ireland Child Poverty Strategy in 2011 and 2012 - leading to a personal invitation to discussions with the President of Ireland in 2013. PSE-UK findings have been directly referenced in the Evason Report whose proposals have just been fully adopted as part of the Welfare Reforms for Northern Ireland (announcement by Arlene Foster, First Minister of Northern Ireland, in January 2016). Direct influence with the UK Government included two meetings with Frank Field MP (Chair of the Independent Review on Poverty in the UK) and his team, PSE research was credited in the subsequent Review on Poverty and Life Chances and the PSE team recommendations on measuring service quality were adopted and recommended to the Prime Minister. PSE research methods and support also enable communities to raise evidenced and researched issues with local government and politicians. The Dissemination strategy achieved the widest possible use of the results, utilising web, press, TV and social media in addition to academic channels, professional and policy engagement and expert evidence. The website has had enormous impact with 700,000 visits in five years and over 160,000 returning visitors. It has been widely used by local organisations, the public and policy makers, local councils, secondary school teachers and pupils, religious organisations and trade unions. The PSE research findings generated extensive national and international media coverage in print, on-line and on radio and television. ITV's prime-time documentary Breadline Britain Tonight, based on the PSE findings, reached 3.3 million viewers. The producer wrote: "everyone is delighted with the response we have had to Breadline Britain, the ratings were great 3.3 million the emails we've had in from viewers expressing their concern for our contributors has been incredible". |
| First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
| Sector | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Government, Democracy and Justice,Other |
| Impact Types | Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Field Review on Poverty and Life Chances |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | ndependent Field Review on The Review on Poverty and Life Chances - David Gordon and Jonathan Bradshaw invited twice to meetings with the Independent Review team as well as submitting evidence |
| Description | Invited meeting with Social Security Advisory Committee |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Invitation to advise and contribute |
| Description | Invited meeting with the President of Ireland to discuss processes of social transformation. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Invitation to meet with the Irish President Michael D. Higgins and selected experts to discuss processes of social transformation (March 2013). |
| Description | Journal article quoted in Lords debate on Welfare Reform and Work Bill |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Results described in paper from PSE-UK survey (Bailey 2016, Critical Social Policy) were cited by Baroness Lister of Burtersett in her speech during the Lords debate on the Welfare Reform and Work Bill (25 Jan 2016, House of Lords Hansard, col 1079). |
| Description | Meeting with Department of Social & Family Affairs, Ireland to discuss the measurement of poverty and social exclusion |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Meeting with Department of Social & Family Affairs, Ireland to discuss the measurement of poverty and social exclusion |
| Description | ONS Advisory Group on Wellbeing |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Membership of ONS Advisory Group on Wellbeing |
| Description | PSE Partner contracted to advise Ofcom on the 'the affordability of universal postal services' |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | Invitation to advise and contribute |
| Description | PSE invited meeting with Scottish Government officials. |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
| Impact | Asa result of the meeting, Samantha Coope, Head of the Tackling Poverty policy team in the Scottish Government since 2008, joined the PSE Advisory Board. |
| Description | Scottish Government Response to the UK Measuring Child Poverty Consultation |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
| Impact | The Response refers to PSE Survey, Feb13 -"we feel that before any decision is made on a measure of poverty the outcome of this report should be considered." |
| Description | The Impoverishment of the UK - PSE UK first results: Living Standards |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | First Results Report from PSE UK, press released in GB and Northern Ireland 28 March 13, extensively reported by the both the media and NGOs (see Annual Report 2012-13). The report achieved extensive coverage by both NGOs and the press. |
| Description | UN Expert Group Meeting, Quantitative Indicators Linked to the World Programme of Action for Youth, Division for Social Policy and Development of the UN Dept of Economic and Social Affairs |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Citation in other policy documents |
| Impact | PSE advised UN on measurement of youth poverty and hunger |
| Title | Poverty and Social Exclusion Living Standards Survey, 2012 |
| Description | |
| Type Of Material | Database/Collection of data |
| Year Produced | 2016 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Description | Scottish Rural additional to the PSE UK Survey |
| Organisation | Government of Scotland |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Funding secured from the Scottish Government to boost the main survey in rural Scotland |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | State-of-the-Art Measurement of Poverty and Social Exclusion: Comparison of UK and Japan |
| Organisation | National Institute of Population and Social Security Research (NIPSSR) Tokyo |
| Country | Japan |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | ESRC-JSPS Collaborative seminars 2011-2013 Poverty and Social Exclusion in Hong Kong ESRC & RGC (Hong Kong) Bilateral Collaborative Grant, with the Hong Kong Institute of Education |
| Start Year | 2010 |
| Description | Trends and Implications of Poverty and Social Disadvantages in Hong Kong |
| Organisation | University of Hong Kong |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Bilateral ESRC-funded project; a multi-disciplinary, longitudinal study (c.5mHK$ Strategic Public Policy Research Funding (SPPR) application) |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | The 'squeezed middle' and the 'poor' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article commissioned for PSE website www.poverty.ac.uk This report resulted in a national discussion of these issues |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2012 |
| URL | http://www.poverty.ac.uk/articles-inequality-income-distribution-economic-policy-living-standards/%E... |