Income poverty

Poverty Research Methods Course

Date: 15th - 19th July 2019

Venue: University of Bristol

Course Materials

Introduction

The purpose of this intensive course is to provide a thorough technical and practical introduction to poverty research methods, with a particular emphasis on multidimensional poverty.  Upon completing the course, participants will have the knowledge and skills required to undertake poverty relevant research using cutting edge methodologies – both quantitative and qualitative.

In this section you will find details of the official measures used to monitor child poverty in the UK under the Child Poverty Act, adopted by the Labour Government in 2010. Following the formation of the Coalition government (2010 to 2015) and then the election of the Conservative government (2015-), there were moves to replace these measures with other broader ones. These proposal were widely criticised by an overwhelming majority of poverty experts - see, for example, the PSE: UK team’s response to these proposals in Tackling Child Poverty and Improving Life Chances and Social Mobility and Child Poverty Review).

Seventeen people who were either involved in the 1968/69 'Poverty in the UK' survey itself or in closely related work have been interviewed for the Townsend archive. These included five members of the original research team, eight fieldworkers, and five academics colleagues, government advisors or campaigners. These interviews are currently being uploaded to the website and will be accessible through the left hand menu.

Many of those involved in the 1968/69 research project went on to influential academic careers in social policy and other related areas. Many also became closely involved in various campaigns to tackle, for examples, child poverty, low pay, gender equality, and disability. In these interviews, they look back over this period and reflect on the impact, or otherwise, of poverty research on the policy and on lessons learnt.

The government wants to redefine poverty to be a measure of workless homes and educational attainment. But most children in poverty live in households where at least one adults works. Gill Main questions how this proposal helps tackle child poverty.