Social and Public Policy - Policy and Practice

Rising concerns about a 'problematic street culture' associated with rough sleeping, especially begging and street drinking, have seen a major shift towards enforcement interventions aimed at the 'street users'. This report examines the impact of these interventions on the welfare of street users.

A free pdf version is available at www.jrf.org.uk

The welfare of ethnic minority individuals in Britain depends critically on how they fare in the labour market. This report provides a detailed empirical analysis of labour market outcomes and explores how ethnically diverse these outcomes are and how they have changed over time.

A free pdf version is available at www.jrf.org.uk

Although South Asian women are one of the most socially excluded groups in the UK, their numbers at university have increased rapidly in recent years. This report seeks to understand why they are entering university in larger numbers and the impact this has on their lives.

This report presents findings from a new investigation into the experiences of individuals living with long-term ill-health and their families. New in-depth qualitative material and secondary analyses of national datasets are used to examine the ways in which long-term ill-health impacts upon poverty.

A free pdf is available at www.jrf.org.uk

A wide-ranging review of the literature relating to poverty and ethnicity has identified the stark differences in rates of poverty according to ethnic group. This review brings together the available evidence on different aspects of poverty and examines what has been studied in relation to its causes.

A free pdf is available at www.jrf.org.uk

Two strategies that governments have to help people on low incomes - providing them with financial support directly, and encouraging them to earn more - generally conflict. This report provides new evidence on the trade-off between redistributing income and improving work incentives.

FREE PDF version available online at www.jrf.org.uk

This study examines the relationship between poverty and informal work. Exploring the experiences of people in low-paid informal work, it contends that unless government seeks to include the informal economy in its strategies, it will never be able to reach its employment or anti-poverty targets.

Free pdf version available at www.jrf.org.uk

The recent focus on reducing child poverty stems mainly from worries about the future consequences of poverty on children's later achievement. This report explores the link between childhood poverty and poverty later in life, and asks whether this link has grown stronger or weaker in recent decades. Free PDF available at www.jrf.org.uk

Much of the recent policy debate surrounding poverty in Britain focuses on income as a measure of living standards. In this report we consider one alternative to income for measuring poverty that has been largely overlooked in the mainstream poverty debate in the UK: namely household expenditure. Free PDF version available at www.jrf.org.uk

In the UK there is increasing acceptance that credit unions have an important role to play in providing affordable credit to all sections of society. This study identifies current patterns of credit union development, quantifies their performance and isolates factors which make some more successful than others. Free PDF available at www.jrf.org.uk

One of the key objectives of government neighbourhood policy is to encourage a sustainable mix of tenures and incomes. This report addresses questions of why integration has been so difficult to achieve in practice and draws conclusions for future policy.

FREE pdf version available online at www.jrf.org.uk

This is the last of three reports in a longitudinal study that has followed the journey of a group of young people from less advantaged families through Higher Education and into the labour market. This report focuses on the young people's progress from full-time study into the graduate labour market. Free PDF available at www.jrf.org.uk