Tag Archives for poverty
What is the capabilities approach capable of?
Sen’s capabilities approach is not interested in poverty reduction through economic transformation. We should recognise it as a normative theory of well-being, not a social theory of change In development studies, the ‘capabilities approach’ has experienced a remarkable rise in popularity over the last decade or so. It has refocused our interest in the political economy of poverty reduction away … Continue reading
When work doesn’t work
The left’s focus on full employment fails to address the realities of work and family in the twenty-first century ‘The clue is in the name’, Ed Miliband said, Labour is ‘the party of work’. The previous UK Labour party leader fought the 2015 general election on a manifesto that promised ‘to reward hard work’. Yet soon after the election one … Continue reading
Rwanda: an agrarian developmental state?
‘Getting the politics right’ in smallholder agriculture is an important first step in Rwanda’s development, but it needs to be sustained for a generation At the heart of the burgeoning literature on Rwanda is the country’s rapid economic growth since the early 2000s, and its accompaniment by a raft of other encouraging development statistics. GDP per capita has grown from … Continue reading
The American economy at mid-term
The numbers don’t reflect the reality and give no cause for crowing over the Eurozone It is mid-term season in America: time for the Administration to talk up the strengths of the economy. The President did so a week ago, wanting ‘people to know that there are some really good things happening in America’. And, since in economic terms it … Continue reading
From MDGs to … SDGs
The world has drafted a spectacular new ‘to-do’ list of Sustainable Development Goals Following two years of deliberations at the UN in New York, UN ambassadors have proposed seventeen ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (or SDGs) to replace the old Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) when they expire at the end of 2015. The final agreement will come next year. So what’s in … Continue reading
Zero Hunger Britain
Brazil’s Zero Hunger programme is being adopted in countries around the world: why not Britain too? Tony Payne has argued that ‘we’re all developing countries now’. One corollary of this is that the pretension of an international policy hierarchy must be dropped. No longer should it be assumed that the best ways to address key developmental challenges have already been … Continue reading
Paul Ryan as the Prince of Paupers
The hard-nosed approach to poverty from the American Right is a threat to long-term democratic stability in the United States Given the scale and depth of poverty in the United States, it is not surprising that periodically debates about it should surface in Washington DC. What is more surprising is that the issue of poverty is not permanently centre-stage. It … Continue reading
Food banks and welfare reform
A ‘right to food’ approach can help to determine ultimate responsibility for preventing hunger Last week the All Party Parliamentary Inquiry into hunger and food poverty was launched and today, the terms of reference will be finalised at a research summit in Portcullis House. The question of what is driving demand for food banks is likely to be prominent. The … Continue reading
America’s War on Poverty, America’s War on the Poor
Fifty years after Lyndon Johnson’s vision, American politicians desperately need to reinvigorate the stalled campaign against poverty January 2014 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the State of the Union Address in which Lyndon Johnson launched the War on Poverty. This anniversary is leading to much soul-searching here in the United States. Partly that soul-searching reflects the high levels of poverty … Continue reading
Inclusive growth at city-region level: a perspective from Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is an important test-bed for how inclusive growth can be put into practice at a local level The Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit (IGAU) was established in January 2016 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) and The University of Manchester, as part of JRF’s work on cities, growth and poverty, and the University’s new Urban Institute and wider efforts … Continue reading →
28 February 2017 by Ruth Lupton
Categories: Inclusive Growth, SPERI Comment | Tags: Brexit, Devo Manc, Inclusive Growth Analysis Unit, Jean Stretton, Manchester, poverty, Ruth Lupton, social services | Leave a comment