Research is beginnig to shows what effect policies might have on child poverty by 2010 and 2020. Taking account of the recession, research by the John Rowntree Foundation and the Institute of Fiscal Studies estimates the costs of meeting the UK government target of halving child poverty by 2010 and eliminating it by 2020, using the most recent data available.
The study updates the modelling exercise undertaken by the JRF and Institute for Fiscal Studies in 2006. The projections are based on reasonable assumptions about changes in employment, earnings and demography, along with the projected effects of announced policies for levels of benefits, tax credits and taxation. They draw on information about individuals and households collected in 2006–7, with assumptions about future trends in employment and earnings. It will be of interest to anyone working on the child poverty agenda.
The full report, Micro-simulating child poverty in 2010 and 2020, by M. Brewer, J. Browne, R. Joyce and H. Sutherland, is published by the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Read more about child povery on the website of the Joseph Rowentree Foundation.
