The Changing Dynamics and Social Outcomes of Deep Poverty

The School of Sociology and Social Policy has recently secured an ESRC WRDTP Collaborative Award to research the changing dynamics of deep poverty in the UK. The funding will support a doctoral student to undertake a new stream of impactful research, in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and their supervisory team (Dr Daniel Edmiston and Dr Albert Varela).

The doctoral student will contribute towards a wider programme of research examining the trajectories of deep poverty and what effects this has across a range of domains including health and wellbeing, work and housing. Government measures used to evidence low-income dynamics do not currently cover the wider social outcomes of those in deep poverty. Developed in collaboration with the DWP, the project aims to address this and draw on unique datasets to inform long-term insights into the changing poverty profile. The project will explore how those experiencing deep poverty differ from other households below the relative poverty line over time, particularly since COVID-19.

Lead supervisor Dr Daniel Edmiston commented “We are very pleased to be working in partnership with the DWP on this project. The research is particularly important in light of the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on lower-income groups. The findings of this research will have wide-ranging implications for poverty measurement and alleviation. This collaborative award will capture the experiences and outcomes of those often overlooked within social research, policy design and evaluation surrounding poverty.”

More information on the project and how to apply for the Collaborative Award is available here