Abstract
One of the most difficult issues in the area of social policy is to define a ‘poverty line’ — an income level that can be expressed in cash terms below which it is argued that the citizens of any given country should not fall. [1] Even if such a definition can be found which is broadly acceptable, the means adopted for trying to ensure that people do not fall below the poverty line are going to be extremely complex. Yet clearly one of the challenges facing those whose task it is to develop social policy — particularly in a time of economic depression — is to devise satisfactory means of ensuring that all members of society have the basic income resources available to them with which they can obtain the basic necessities of life: food, housing, heating, clothing, education.
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Notes
See, for example, the theoretical discussion of definitions of ‘poverty’, in P. Townsend, ‘Poverty in the United Kingdom’, Penguin Books, 1979, Chap. 1.
See now the extremely useful survey by J. Bradshaw and D. Piachaud, ‘Child Support in the European Community’, (Occasional Papers on Social Administration No. 66), (Bedford Square Press, 1980).
There is a useful introductions to these in the ‘European Industrial Relations Report’, No. 92 (1981) pp. 13-17.
I received copies of National Reports from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Eederal Republic of Germany, France, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden. I am most grateful to the National Reporters from the above countries for their helpful and interesting contributions. Information about the United Kingdom is based on my own personal knowledge of the social security system.
In particular Norway and to a lesser extent Austria.
For example, it is suggested in the Austrian report (p. 15) that far greater changes in social security may be anticipated in the future, but that, at present, such considerations are a matter of secrecy; see too the Danish national report.
This point emerges particularly strongly in the French National Report. In Spain, a major review of family policy measures is being conducted; a Report was due to be published on 31 January 1982.
For example, Belgium, Spain, France, (pre May 1981), Denmark. This is also the case in the United Kingdom, Bradshaw and Piachaud, op. cit., p. 95; see too D. Piachaud, ‘The Cost of a Child’, (Child Poverty Action Group, 1980). 9. German report.
Austrian report, see further below.
Norvegian and Swedish report.
French report.
Austrian report.
Swedish report. This was also a consideration in French planning policy during the period of the 8th Economic Plan.
Swedish report.
French report; see too the measures developing in Spain, mentioned in the Spanish report.
Austrian report.
Austrian report.
French report.
Spanish and Belgian report.
For example, United Kingdom and France, see too special protection of orphans and children of prisoners mentioned in the Danish report.
For example, France and Spain.
This section is based on the EIRR survey, cited above note 3.
Some of these methods of subsidy has been discussed in the Family Allowances section of this paper; see also, e.g. the British Family Income Supplement scheme.
Greece is one example.
Certainly in Great Britain this is a closely guarded official secret.
For example, Norway.
French report.
See, e.g., S. Rottenberg,’ Economics of Legal Minimum Wages, (Washington, DC, 1981).
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Partington, M. (1984). Family allowances and minimum income. In: The social security and the economic crisis II Proceedings of the European Institute for Social Security / La sécurité sociale et la crise économique II Travaux de l’Institut Européen de Sécurité Sociale. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6825-0_7
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