Description

Despite strong and sustained economic growth in the period prior to the onset of the global financial crisis, increasing numbers of national and international studies have shown that inequality, poverty, and social exclusion have remained widespread and resistant to change. This has led to calls to understand better the determinants of poverty, its relation to inequality and exclusion, and the role that social security and other policies can play in addressing these issues. This book brings together contributions from many of the leaders in the field, to examine the nature of poverty and to establish patterns, to identify underlying causes, and to propose remedies that are applicable to a broad range of countries. The book applies the latest comparative data to examine recent trends in countries of the EU and the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development. It focuses on: how income inequality and poverty vary within and between countries, the gender dimension of poverty, the role and impact of social security, and other social protection policies, and the implications for policy in these and related areas. Topics addressed in the national studies examine evidence in countries as diverse as Australia, Denmark, Japan, and Sweden. These papers highlight important new findings relating to the adequacy of social security benefits, child poverty in poor neighborhoods, the profile and determinants of social exclusion, poverty dynamics among new labor market entrants, and the impact of relationship breakdown on social exclusion. The book will be essential reading for poverty researchers, policy makers in social security and related fields, and students interested in a single source that brings together major recent developments in theory, measurement, data availability, and practice.

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