Poverty, Wealth and Inequality

Social sciences have long explored the causes, consequences and solutions to poverty. Whilst this has primarily drawn attention to matters around income security, both nationally and across the globe, there has been a debate focused on the “problem of riches”. This has drawn attention to the challenges of inequality and wealth distribution within the wider pursuit of social justice.

Theme lead: Dr Lee Gregory

Current and recent projects

Publications

2017

Antonucci, L., Horvath, L., Krouwel, A. and Y. Kutyski (2017) “he malaise of the squeezed middle: Challenging the narrative of the left behind Brexiter Competition & Change, Special Issue: Brexit: a year later, 21 (3): 211-229.

Garthwaite, K. and Bambra, C. (2017) “How the other half live”: Lay perspectives on health inequalities in an age of austerity. Social Science & Medicine, 187, pp. 238-275.

Garthwaite, K. (2017) Rethinking deservingness, choice and gratitude in emergency food provision. Social Policy Review 29: Analysis and Debate in Social Policy, 2017, p.87.

Garthwaite, K., 2017. ‘I feel I'm Giving Something Back to Society’: Constructing the ‘Active Citizen’and Responsibilising Foodbank Use. Social Policy and Society, 16(2), pp.283-292.

Geiger, B.B., Garthwaite, K., Warren, J. and Bambra, C., 2017. Assessing work disability for social security benefits: international models for the direct assessment of work capacity. Disability and Rehabilitation, pp.1-9.

Overton, L and Fox O'Mahony, L (2017) Understanding Attitudes to Paying for Care Amongst Equity Release Consumers: Citizenship, solidarity and the 'hardworking homeowner' Journal of Social Policy, 46, 1, 49–67 doi:10.1017/S0047279416000416

Rowlingson, K, Joseph, R. and Overton, L. (2017) Intergenerational Financial Giving and Inequality: Give and Take in 21st Century Families, Basingstoke: Palgrave.

2016

Antonucci, L. (2016) Student Lives in Crisis. Deepening inequality in times of austerity, Bristol: Policy Press.

Appleyard, L, Rowlingson, K and Gardner, J (2016) ‘The variegated financialization of sub-prime credit markets’, Competition & Change, 20, 5, 297-313.

Garthwaite, K. (2016) Hunger Pains: life inside foodbank Britain. Bristol: Policy Press.

Garthwaite, K. (2016) Stigma, shame and ‘people like us’: an ethnographic study of foodbank use in the UK. Journal of Poverty and Social Justice, 24, 3, pp. 277-289.

Gregory, J. (2016) 'How not to be an egalitarian: the politics of homeownership and property-owning democracy', International Journal of Housing Policy.

Gregory, J., Mullins, D., Redman, P. and Alan Murie (2016), Social Housing and the Good Society, Policy Futures Report.

Roberts, S. and L. Antonucci (2016) Youth Transitions, Welfare Policy & Contemporary Europe in Lange, A., Steiner, C., Shutter, S. and H. Reiter (eds) Hadbuch Kindheits-und Jugendsoziologie (German Handbook of Youth Sociology),
Amsterdam: Springer, pp. 1-13.

Rowlingson, K. Appleyard, L. and Gardner, J. (2016) Payday lending in the UK: the regul(aris)ation of a necessary evil? Journal of Social Policy, 45, 3, 527-543.

Rowlingson, K, Gardner, J and Appleyard, L (2016) Responsible Lending in the UK: What Role Does the State Play? In Ferretti, F. (ed.). Comparative Perspectives of Consumer Over-Indebtedness: A view from the UK, Germany, Greece, and Italy. Eleven International Publishing.

Rowlingson, K (2016) 'You can't take it with you when you die': wealth, intestacy rules and inheritance tax’ in Woodthorpe, K and Foster, L (eds) Death and Social Policy in Challenging Times, Palgrave Macmillan.

Members of the Poverty, Wealth and Inequality theme

Dr Lorenza Antonucci

Dr Lorenza Antonucci

Associate Professor
Birmingham Fellow
School Impact REF Lead

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Lorenza Antonucci is currently Associate Professor and Birmingham Fellow in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology.

Lorenza is a social policy scholar researching and writing on inequality, comparative social policy in Europe, young adults, higher education and welfare state changes. Lorenza’s research is both theoretical informed (through welfare theory) and applied in ...

Email
l.antonucci@bham.ac.uk

Dr Emily Ball

Dr Emily Ball

Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Research Methods

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Dr Emily Ball joined the University of Birmingham in 2017. She is a Lecturer in social policy and social research methods, who specialises in family policy and welfare conditionality.

Email
e.ball@bham.ac.uk

Dr Laura Bentley

Dr Laura Bentley

Research Fellow in Social Policy

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Dr Laura Bentley has been a Research Fellow in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology since submitting her PhD thesis for examination in 2019. Most recently, Laura started an ESRC funded Postdoctoral Fellowship, the project title of which is: ‘Still Jenny from the block? Working-class women, higher education & social mobility in the COVID-19 context’.

The ...

Email
l.j.bentley@bham.ac.uk

Dr Harriet Clarke

Dr Harriet Clarke

Senior Lecturer in Social Policy and Social Research

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Harriet Clarke has teaching and research commitments to disability and social policy, and supervises doctoral research within the department. Harriet is also Head of Education for the School of Social Policy, responsible for the development and implementation of education strategy with oversight of the School’s teaching programmes. She is a member of the School Senior Management Team, ...

Telephone
+44(0)121 415 8479
Email
h.clarke@bham.ac.uk

Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite

Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite

Associate Professor
Deputy Director of Research (Impact), School of Social Policy
Birmingham Fellow

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Dr Kayleigh Garthwaite is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology. She is also the Deputy Director of Research (Impact), School of Social Policy.

Kayleigh’s research interests focus on poverty and inequality, social security, and stigma, specifically investigating charitable food provision and food insecurity. Her work is strongly ...

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 5717
Email
k.garthwaite@bham.ac.uk

Dr James Gregory

Dr James Gregory

Senior Research Fellow

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Dr James Gregory received his doctorate in political theory before moving into social and housing policy research.  His housing research started at the Fabian Society, where he was a Senior Research Fellow. James is interested in homeownership, asset-based welfare, and neighbourhood research. In addition to a number of think-tank reports, James has recently published papers in Critical ...

Telephone
+44(0)121 414 6212
Email
j.gregory@bham.ac.uk

Dr Mark Monaghan

Dr Mark Monaghan

Reader in Criminology and Social Policy

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Mark Monaghan joined the Department in October 2018. He has previously worked at Loughborough University and the University of Leeds. His research is mainly in the area of drugs policy and he is primarily interested in the way research and evidence are used and misused in the policy process. 

Email
m.monaghan@bham.ac.uk

Dr Louise Overton

Dr Louise Overton

Associate Professor in Social Policy
Director of the Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM)

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Louise is an Associate Professor in Social Policy and Director of the Centre on Household Assets and Savings Management (CHASM). Her research interests focus on older people and personal finance (and personal finance-related issues), including financial security, financial advice, and the regulation of consumer financial services.

Louise’s research is strongly empirical, but against a ...

Telephone
+44(0)121 415 1066
Email
l.e.overton@bham.ac.uk

Professor Simon Pemberton

Professor Simon Pemberton

Professor in Social Policy and Criminology
Postgraduate Taught Admissions Lead

Department of Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology

Simon is a Professor in Social Policy and Criminology currently researching aspects of social harm caused by states and corporations, as well as social structures, in particular the harms caused by inequality. 

Telephone
+44(0)121 415 8025
Email
s.pemberton.1@bham.ac.uk