The Central Asian republics represent the poorest area of the former Soviet Union and this book contains the first rigorous analysis of household living standards in the region. Part I deals with methodological issues of measuring household welfare in transition, Part II quantifies living standards in various ways, and Part III looks at support given by the state, firms, other households and NGOs - the 'mixed economy' of welfare provision. The book is characterised by analysis of newly available survey data.

Who gains and who loses from economic transformation in Eastern Europe is a key question, but one which is too rarely discussed. This book, first published in 1992, examines the evidence about distribution of income under Communism in Eastern Europe. Contrary to popular impressions, a great deal of information exists about distribution of income and household earnings in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. With glasnost much material previously kept secret in the USSR has been made available. The book contains extensive statistical evidence that had not previously been assembled on a comparative basis, and brings the story right up to the end of Communism. The findings bring out the differences in experience between countries under Communism: between Central Europe and the former Union; between Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland; and between the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

Why do fewer teenagers in England from disadvantaged backgrounds go to university than young people from better-off families? Once at university, how well do poorer students fare compared with other students - who drops out from university and who gets the best degrees? After university - who secures better jobs and higher pay? What really has been the impact on university entry of the controversial increases in tuition fees in 2006 and 2012, especially for students from poorer families? Is there no alternative to charging for university places and what do other countries do? What should governments, universities, and schools do to reduce the gaps in university entry and success by family background? And what advice can be given to families and young people themselves deciding between the costs and benefits of university? This book answers these questions using the latest available evidence, drawing on a wealth of data from administrative records of the school and university system and sample surveys of young people and their families. The authors' analysis of the situation in England is set against a background of evidence for other countries. The book provides much needed dispassionate analysis of issues that are at the forefront of both public policy and popular debate on higher education around the world today.

Leading researchers examine child poverty in industrialized countries--the United States, UK, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, and Russia--in this major new study. Issues addressed are: definition and measurement in the dynamic analysis of child poverty; cross-national comparisons of child poverty rates and trends; cross-national comparisons of children's movements into and out of poverty; country-specific studies of child poverty dynamics; and the policy implications of taking a dynamic perspective. This unique study, with its cross-national and dynamic analysis of child poverty, will interest academics, international organizations, governments and their advisors.

Discussion of convergence in the EU in recent years has centred on economic indicators related to monetary union and the single European currency, but it is the convergence of living standards that is the ultimate goal of European integration. This book analyses the living standards of the nearly 80 million children in the EU, who represent over a fifth of the Union's total population. The well-being of Europe's children is important now - and the nature of their progress to adulthood will have a major impact on the shape of Europe's future. By analysing the trends of child well-being in Europe over the last two decades, this book asks: Is the well-being of children in the EU becoming more similar across member states? Or Are countries diverging while their economies converge? These issues are addressed with a wealth of data on different dimensions of the changing welfare of Europe's children - evidence that has not previously been drawn together in a single source. The authors consider in turn the material well-being of children, their health and education, teenage fertility, and young people's own views of their lives. There is careful treatment of conceptual and measurement issues and data quality and comparability, together with reference to a large literature across the different relevant disciplines. This book aims to raise the profile of children in the debate on Europe's future, and in doing so to contribute to the growing discussion of economic and social cohesion in the EU. The analysis is rigorous but it avoids disciplinary jargon and will appeal to a pan-European audience. It is important reading for academics across the social sciences interested in the well-being of children and youth, NGOs working on behalf of the young, and local and national government policy advisers concerned with the issues in a domestic or European context.

The Central Asian republics represent the poorest area of the former Soviet Union and this book contains the first rigorous analysis of household living standards in the region. Part I deals with methodological issues of measuring household welfare in transition, Part II quantifies living standards in various ways, and Part III looks at support given by the state, firms, other households and NGOs - the 'mixed economy' of welfare provision. The book is characterised by analysis of newly available survey data.

Who gains and who loses from economic transformation in Eastern Europe is a key question, but one which is too rarely discussed. This book, first published in 1992, examines the evidence about distribution of income under Communism in Eastern Europe. Contrary to popular impressions, a great deal of information exists about distribution of income and household earnings in Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. With glasnost much material previously kept secret in the USSR has been made available. The book contains extensive statistical evidence that had not previously been assembled on a comparative basis, and brings the story right up to the end of Communism. The findings bring out the differences in experience between countries under Communism: between Central Europe and the former Union; between Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland; and between the newly independent states of the former Soviet Union.

In this journey of discovery, John Micklewright travels the slow way, on foot, on paths, tracks and byways from the Channel to the Alps - from the coast of Normandy to the flanks of Mont Blanc. The Opening Country is a beautifully written account of his progress through the French countryside, an evocative patchwork of landscape, nature, history, literature, film, and - drawing on his father's diaries that stretch back to the 1930s - of memoir. Always curious, absorbing all around him, ready on a whim to divert from his chosen route as he heads unhurriedly southwards. The natural world unfolds as spring turns to summer with surprises of bird song and butterflies, against a constant background of reminders of the economic and social story of rural France and of wars past. The result is an engrossing record of a classic long-distance walk through Britain's nearest continental neighbour. The Opening Country is a book to fire the imagination - a call to travel slowly, to open eyes and ears, to discover and explore.

The issues surrounding poverty and inequality continue to be of central concern to academics, politicians and policy makers but the way in which we seek to study and understand them continues to change over time. This accessible new book seeks to provide a guide to some of the new approaches that have been developed in the light of international initiatives to reduce poverty and the notable increases in income inequality and poverty that have occurred across many western countries in recent years. These new approaches have to some degree been facilitated by the emergence of new techniques and a growing availability of data that enables cross national comparisons not only of income variables but also of measures of welfare such as education achievement, nutritional status in developing countries and wealth and deprivation indicators in the developed world. Including specially commissioned research from a distinguished list of international authors, this volume makes a real contribution to the public debate surrounding inequality and poverty as well as providing new empirical information about them from around the world.

The so-called Great Recession that followed the global financial crisis at the end of 2007 was the largest economic downturn since the 1930s for most rich countries. To what extent were household incomes affected by this event, and how did the effects differ across countries? This is the first cross-national study of the impact of the Great Recession on the distribution of household incomes. Looking at real income levels, poverty rates, and income inequality, it focusses on the period 2007-9, but also considers longer-term impacts. Three vital contributions are made. First, the book reviews lessons from the past about the relationships between macroeconomic change and the household income distribution. Second, it considers the experience of 21 rich OECD member countries drawing on a mixture of national accounts, and labour force and household survey data. Third, the book presents case-study evidence for six countries: Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the UK, and the USA. The book shows that, between 2007 and 2009, government support through the tax and benefit system provided a cushion against the downturn, and household income distributions did not change much. But, after 2009, there is likely to be much greater change in incomes as a result of the fiscal consolidation measures that are being put into place to address the structural deficits accompanying the recession. The book's main policy lesson is that stabilisation of the household income distribution in the face of macroeconomic turbulence is an achievable policy goal, at least in the short-term.

The issues surrounding poverty and inequality continue to be of central concern to academics, politicians and policy makers but the way in which we seek to study and understand them continues to change over time. This accessible new book seeks to provide a guide to some of the new approaches that have been developed in the light of international initiatives to reduce poverty and the notable increases in income inequality and poverty that have occurred across many western countries in recent years. These new approaches have to some degree been facilitated by the emergence of new techniques and a growing availability of data that enables cross national comparisons not only of income variables but also of measures of welfare such as education achievement, nutritional status in developing countries and wealth and deprivation indicators in the developed world. Including specially commissioned research from a distinguished list of international authors, this volume makes a real contribution to the public debate surrounding inequality and poverty as well as providing new empirical information about them from around the world.

Leading researchers examine child poverty in industrialized countries--the United States, UK, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Hungary, and Russia--in this major new study. Issues addressed are: definition and measurement in the dynamic analysis of child poverty; cross-national comparisons of child poverty rates and trends; cross-national comparisons of children's movements into and out of poverty; country-specific studies of child poverty dynamics; and the policy implications of taking a dynamic perspective. This unique study, with its cross-national and dynamic analysis of child poverty, will interest academics, international organizations, governments and their advisors.