Which Types of Family are at Risk of Food Poverty in the UK? A Relative Deprivation Approach

an article by Rebecca O'Connell, Charlie Owen, Antonia Simon and Julia Brannen (UCL Institute of Education, London, UK) and Matt Padley (Loughborough University, UK) published in Social Policy and Society Volume 18 Issue 1 (January 2019)

Abstract

Not enough is known in the UK about how economic phenomena and policy changes have impacted families’ ability to feed themselves.

This article employs a novel way of identifying the types of UK families at risk of food poverty over time. Applying a relative deprivation approach, it asks what counts in the UK as a socially acceptable diet that meets needs for health and social participation and how much this costs.

Comparing this to actual food expenditure by different family types, between 2005 and 2013, it identifies which are spending less than expected and may be at risk of food poverty. The analysis finds the proportion has increased over time for most family types and for lone parents and large families in particular.

The discussion considers findings in light of changing economic and policy contexts and the implications for policy responses of how food poverty is defined and measured.

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The “New Urban Europe”: Global Challenges and Local Responses in the Urban Century

an article by Peter Nijkamp and Karima Kourtit (VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) published in European Planning Studies Volume 21 Issue 3 (2013)

Abstract

Modern cities in the open European space-economy are powerhouses of creative ideas, smart technologies, sustainable developments and socio-economic wealth. They play a pivotal role in the future of an urbanised Europe, but they are also confronted with grand challenges, notably far-reaching demographic transformations, environmental decay and climatological change, unequal social participation and ever-rising mobility trends.

The challenges for urban environments may be turned into new opportunities, in particular, in such domains as advanced infrastructure and logistic systems, environmental and climate-neutral facilities, creative and knowledge-intensive strategies for socio-economic prosperity and well-being.

Cities – and in particular metropolitan areas – may thus act as spearheads of sustainable economic growth for European countries. These observations call for appropriate long-range policy strategies for metropolitan areas – and networks of cities – in the highly diversified European space-economy. Such policy actions would need to be supported by solid, multidisciplinary and evidence-based research on the challenges and opportunities of urban environments in Europe.

The main contribution of this paper lies in the systematic strategic approach to transform urban megatrends and challenges into research and policy concerns for Europe. The analytical framework employed to highlight and better understand such research and policy response in Europe from a typological perspective is built around four interconnected pillars (cornerstones) that form the focal points for identifying strategic future images that may be instrumental in mapping out the research and policy challenges for the “New Urban Europe”.

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