A problem of riches: towards a new social policy research agenda on the distribution of economic resources

The distribution of economic resources in society is a central concern for social policy. But research in this area has primarily concentrated on the bottom of the economic distribution, namely ‘the poor’. In this article, we argue that it is time for social policy to move away from a narrow focus on poverty to consider the broader issue of inequality between different groups in the economic distribution and, by implication, the position of better-off citizens. This raises a number of conceptual challenges due to the current lack of consideration of wealth and inequality at a political, theoretical or empirical level. The article discusses the challenges and concludes by outlining a possible research agenda. However, the underpinning argument is that social policy needs to develop a broader understanding of the economic distribution

Introduction: Household Finances under Pressure: What is the Role of Social Policy?

This themed issue examines household finances within the context of the 2007 banking crisis, which triggered the biggest downturn in many global economies since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The effects of this crisis and subsequent global recession were still unfolding at the time the articles of this issue were submitted to the journal. The election of the coalition government in May 2010, and its emergency budget aimed at reducing the nation's budget deficit, precipitated the biggest reduction in public sector funding in living memory. Rising unemployment and the increasing cost of living means that for many households even greater strain has been placed on their finances. Other developments, such as the winding-up of the Treasury Financial Inclusion Taskforce and the axing of asset building policies, for example the Child Trust Fund and Saving Gateway, had, to some, signalled an end to the consensus in government that had been built up around the financial inclusion agenda, and had left a big gap in social policy.</jats:p

Payday lending: regulation is a forward step, but there are lessons to learn from this industry

Payday lending schemes in the UK are often vilified as expensive and exploitative, and many welcomed their regulation. But that shouldn’t be the end of it. Karen Rowlingson, Lindsey Appleyard and Jodi Gardner argue that we need to look closer at why people use these services in the first place, and suggest that we could learn from some aspects of their business model in order to improve others