Ben Wheeler

This is the first detailed study of the recent geographical distribution of poverty and wealth in Britain. It presents the most comprehensive estimates of the changing levels of poverty and wealth from the late 1960s. A wide range of secondary data is used, beginning with the first national Poverty in the UK survey of Peter Townsend and colleagues, and ending with data released during the middle of the current decade. The authors extend concepts of social exclusion to establish 5 household groupings: the 'exclusive wealthy' - able to exclude themselves from the norms of society; those who are rich but not exclusively so; those who are neither rich nor poor; the 'breadline poor'; and the 'core poor' - who experience a combination of severe income poverty, material deprivation and subjective poverty. Poverty and wealth statistics are mapped in detail to explore geographical patterns over the last four decades, and analysed to determine whether poverty and wealth have become more or less polarised.

This Handbook is the definitive resource for anyone wishing to quickly look up and understand key concepts and measurements relating to socioeconomic position and inequalities. A range of key concepts is defined and measures of socioeconomic position and inequality described. Alphabetical listings, cross-referencing, graphs and worked examples, references to web and other sources of further information, all contribute to making the Handbook both engaging and accessible for a wide audience. For students, academics and others involved in social science research it answers questions such as: · 'What's the official government measure of poverty?' · 'What factors make up the Townsend Index of Deprivation?' · 'What is a gini coefficient?' · 'I have to write a report on tackling inequalities in my area - what are the key issues I should consider before I begin?' For practitioners, policy makers, journalists and others who must read, understand and use research in fields as diverse as health, criminology, education, the environment, transport and housing it provides a one-stop, authoritative guide to making sense of and evaluating the significance of often complex methodologies. The authors are all eminent researchers in the field of health inequalities. They have together produced two glossaries for the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health and have published a large number of books and articles in learned academic journals.

This lively, colourful and innovative pack has been designed specifically for use as a teaching aid and learning resource for students of geography, sociology, social policy and related social science disciplines. With new evidence about the nature of social and geographical divisions in British society, it is also an invaluable resource for policy makers and local authority professionals in areas such as planning, education, housing, poverty and social exclusion. The topics selected are central to themes covered both at undergraduate and A-level and focus on the differences between areas within the UK, highlighting the spatial inequalities and gaps in service provision that the census data have revealed. The pack contains a range of valuable learning materials, including: A summary sheet (A4, 2 pages) 10 short reports (A4, 8 pages each): 5 full colour A2 posters (photos, text and maps depicting life in contemporary Britain and focusing on housing, poverty, employment, education and health) A technical report (giving the background to the project and details of the analyses)