Tuesday 22 November 2011

Progress for the Poor – how much do growth and government help?

To mark the publication of his groundbreaking new book exploring the impact of economic growth and government policy on the living standards of the least well-off, the IPPR and the Resolution Foundation held a lunchtime discussion with Lane Kenworthy, Professor of Sociology and Political Science at the University of Arizona. With growth flat, living standards falling and public spending reductions underway, this event provided a rare opportunity to hear from one of the world’s leading researchers on the impact of social and economic policies on poverty and inequality. Progress for the Poor draws on the experience of twenty affluent countries since the 1970s to address a number of central questions:

  • How much does economic growth benefit the poor?
  • When and why does growth fail to trickle down?
  • How can social policy help? Is more social spending better for the poor?

This event contributed to the emerging body of work taking place in this country on these issues, including the Resolution Foundation’s Commission on Living Standards and the IPPR’s Growth and Shared Prosperity panel.