Contemporary Europe:

Poverty & Inequality

Dr Neil Lee

n.d.lee@lse.ac.uk

@ndrlee

Some background

What is  poverty? 

• In the Global South, we tend to talk about absolute poverty (e.g. $1.25)
• In Europe, relative poverty is more common: a net income less than 60% national median
  • While wages are measured for the individual, poverty is measured at the household
  • Having children is expensive, so we equivalise for family size
  • (Why Median and not Mean income?)

Poverty vs. social exclusion

Poverty is an outcome, based solely on income, based solely on distribution

• It views the individual as separate, fragmented from society
• But access to and participation in society also matters

The concept of social exclusion helps address this concern

• Social exclusion is about relations with society (not distribution)
• It is a process – the process of breaking of social ties

WHICH COUNTRIES HAVE THE HIGHEST SOCIAL EXCLUSION

Subtitle

operationalising social exclusion

Most government measures see social exclusion as being

Petra Bohnke (2008)

•Indicators of material hardship

–Low income (bottom quartile income)

–Poverty / deprivation (basic goods)

•Social (dis)integration

–Frequency of contact (Friends + Neighbours)

–Support potential (No support in emergencies)

–Perception of integration (Dissatisfaction with social / family life, perception of social integration)

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The concept of social exclusion helps address this concern

• Social exclusion is about relations with society (not distribution)
• It is a process – the process of breaking of social ties

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