Documents poverty 1 197 results

"This paper investigates the relationship between material deprivation and relative income poverty. We apply the method suggested by Nolan and Whelan (2011a,b) to measure consistent poverty in the European Union. We are interested in the cross-country variation in those at risk of consistent poverty, as well as in the main household-level factors associated with this status. Using EU-SILC data from 2012, we first perform a correlation analysis to investigate the relationship between different poverty concepts and their measures. Second, we analyse the poverty identification patterns of the population by country and country group, according to the four possible combinations of income poverty and severe material deprivation status: not at risk at all, at risk of income poverty only, severely materially deprived only, at risk of consistent poverty. Third, multivariate regression analysis is performed to identify the main individual and household-level factors predicting consistent poverty status.According to our results, consistent poverty is present in all Member States, although its extent displays fairly large cross-country differences. The share of those living in consistent poverty is highest in the New Member States and the Southern countries. A higher rate of being generally at risk of poverty is associated with higher rates of consistent poverty across the countries. Living in consistent poverty (compared to not being at risk at all) is associated with several household characteristics not only in the EU as a whole, but also across country groups. Household structure, attained level of education of the household head, and work intensity of the household show the strongest correlation with consistent poverty status. Those living in consistent poverty are more likely than those in severe material deprivation or income poverty to live in bigger families, to have lower levels of education, and to have weak or non-existent links to the labour market. In addition, they evaluate their financial circumstances as being worse, ceteris paribus."

"This paper considers the measurement of poverty in the European Union (EU). Starting from a definition of poverty that is suitable for the European context, a flexible measurement framework is proposed based on the Foster-Greer-Thorbecke class of poverty measures. Three key issues need to be addressed in the measurement of poverty. First, one has to determine the appropriate metric of individual well-being. Second, a cut-off value or threshold needs to be established under which persons are considered to be poor. Third, it is necessary to outline an aggregation procedure to attain a poverty figure for society as a whole. In what follows, we discuss the different answers that are implicit in the poverty measures applied in this book* and the EU's social strategy. The EU Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) are introduced as the main data source for poverty analysis in the EU. Finally, an illustration is provided of how the different conceptual choices in the measurement of poverty affect the empirical findings regarding the evolution of poverty between 2005 and 2009. It turns out that the selection of individual well-being metric and the choice between a county-specific and a pan-European poverty line strongly affect observed patterns of poverty in the EU. "

"This research note focuses specifically on poverty as it is one of the key challenges identified in the European Pillar of Social Rights and its Action Plan. It highlights recent patterns, trends, and dynamics in poverty when calculated based on income and net wealth jointly across a large set of EU countries, relying on household microdata from the Eurosystem Household Finance and Consumption Survey (HFCS) between 2009 and 2020. It contributes to the literature in at least four distinct ways 1) It provides an up-to-date overview of the incidence and patterns of poverty based on income and net wealth for the largest set of (EU) countries ever studied in this regard, including countries that have so far not been part of the literature. 2) It consists of an in-depth discussion of poverty measures that combine information on income and net wealth, including in relation to Eurostat's experimental statistics on income, wealth, and consumption. It goes beyond previous research by analysing poverty rates as well as poverty gaps and the profile of the poor population. Furthermore, where the literature has primarily focused on those who are able to leverage income poverty through wealth holdings, here those who cannot or are poor due to negative net wealth (i.e. higher debt than assets) are given the same level of attention. 3) It assesses how poverty based on income and net wealth evolved over the most recent decade, while the literature has so far mostly focused on mapping patterns at a single moment of observation. 4) It introduces a dynamic perspective by leveraging panel data for Belgium following the same households over time to study movements in and out of poverty, calculated based on income and net wealth jointly. To the best of my knowledge this is the first time a dynamic approach has been applied to the topic of income-net wealth poverty"

"The annual review of Employment and Social Developments in Europe (ESDE) provides analytical support for EU and national policy actions in pursuit of the Europe 2020 employment and social objectives. It considers the latest available data and provides analysis of key employment and

social developments and challenges in the EU and its Member States.

It aims to contribute to the European Semester and new policy initiatives such as the New Skills Agenda, the European Agenda for the Collaborative Economy, the New Start for Social Dialogue, the Action Plan on the Integration of Third-Country Nationals and the development of a European Pillar of Social Rights."

"This well-documented brief demonstrates that both poverty and excessive economic inequality are inimical to the maintenance of a healthy republic, and notes that providing a living wage is not only fair, but is superior to any other public policy such as cash transfers (or the Earned Income Tax Credit) in the effort to fight poverty.

Societies have always struggled to determine what is right in providing for those at the low end of the economic spectrum; now that America has seen an enormous gulf open between those with the most and those with the least, the question becomes a campaign issue and a frame for how we define America's values.

What is the difference between a minimum wage and a living wage, a fair wage and a just wage? How are they the same and how do they differ?

Citing case studies and statistical analyses, the author explores the root causes of inequality and poverty, and compares efforts in the United States and the UK to address those problems. He considers what the principal religions have to say about poverty and inequality, and traces the evolution of the "just wage" tradition. In a review of American policy, he shows that the idea of a living wage was central to policy initiatives promoted by early advocates of the welfare state. In the wake of clear failures of the welfare system as it now stands, he urges we focus our attention again on the living wage, a promising instrument for economic justice and a means of contributing to general prosperity as well. Material conditions in America make it appealing to people the world over, and anything we do to make it a better place makes it more so. But that is fulfilling our history, from the Puritan wish to "build a city on a hill" forward. Should we reject expanding freedom of speech or building better schools because that might attract more immigrants? No. And we need to adopt a living wage for everyone who works in this country."

"The paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of how employment change relates to changes in poverty in the European Union's Member States by looking at both micro and macro level correlations. EU-LFS and EU-SILC data are used to analyse trends between 2005 and 2012, to reflect also on the societal effects of the financial and economic crisis. Time series for this period show that the crisis has resulted in very different employment trajectories. Larger volatility in employment was accompanied by a relatively sizeable change in poverty rates as well. According to our preferred regression model estimates, poverty to employment elasticity has been around 25 percent on average in the EU in the period between 2005 and 2012. The decomposition of poverty changes shows that countries differ greatly in the portion of total poverty changes attributed to changes in the poverty rates of both individuals living in jobless and non-jobless households, as well as in the portion of total poverty changes attributed to the changes in the population share of those in jobless households. We conclude that the success of poverty reduction depends to a large extent on three factors: the dynamics of overall employment growth, the fair distribution of the employment growth across households with different work intensity and properly designed social welfare systems to smooth out income losses for those families who are, for some reasons, unable to generate sufficient income for themselves from the labour markets."

"Part-time work has structurally increased across Europe. The recent crisis period has brought additional increases in many countries, especially in involuntary part-time employment. This paper considers the link between part-time work and poverty, taking a comparative perspective across the EU15. The extent to which part-time work is associated with poverty varies considerably, far more so than for full-time workers. Involuntary part-time work clearly stands out as most problematic although an increased poverty risk is not confined to that segment of part-time work. Part-time work for care reasons also carries a higher poverty risk in some countries. It is most problematic in countries where demand and supply side related factors reinforce each other so as to make part-time work an inferior choice from the perspective of preferred working hours, earnings and employment security. Moreover, part-timers sometimes face a ‘double income penalty' in that they are more likely to have lower earnings and reduced eligibility for certain social transfers. However, there is again considerable cross-country variation in this respect. In some countries actually the reverse is the case and part-timers are in effect more likely to receive social transfers, while being in employment, improving their post-transfer poverty position in a significant way. Taken together, the paper shows that the regulatory drivers shaping part-time work and the welfare state arrangements supporting, or failing to support part-time work play key roles in accounting for the wide variation in poverty risks associated with part-time work across the EU15."

"In occasione del Giubileo del 2025, la ricerca pone il tema della povertà e delle disuguaglianze al centro del dibattito, usando gli ultimi tre eventi giubilari (1975-2000-2025) come riferimento temporale, in un contesto in cui il 5% più ricco della popolazione italiana detiene circa la metà della ricchezza nazionale mentre 5,6 milioni di persone vivono in condizioni povertà assoluta.
L'approccio metodologico è di tipo induttivo-multidisciplinare: l'analisi economica è affiancata a quella sociologica, storica, giuridica e politologica; si tratta il tema delle disuguaglianze sociali sia attraverso dati statistici riguardanti il contesto della ricerca, sia attraverso categorie interpretative come marginalità sociale, disuguaglianza della ricchezza e dei redditi, disuguaglianza da una prospettiva storico-filosofica e non manca una ricostruzione storica della società italiana con particolare riferimento alle crisi economiche dei vari decenni.
Ciò che emerge fortemente dalla ricerca è l'importanza e l'urgenza di un legame tra Giubileo e azione politica, nella direzione di ridurre le disuguaglianze sociali e intervenire per affrontare il tema della marginalità sociale.
Partendo dall'assunto che le disuguaglianze sociali arrecano enorme danno alla società, non solo in termini di efficienza economica ma anche sul piano della sostenibilità sociale, il fine della ricerca si pone in quel processo di ricerca azione che evidenzia alcune sfide emblematiche per l'intervento politico e sindacale davanti all'esigenza di conoscere, governare e orientare i modelli di sviluppo contemporanei."