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Researching Living Standards: Some Problems and Some Findings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2009

Lydia Morris
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Abstract

This article reports on comparative research into the living standards of unemployed couples claiming Income Support, couples claiming in-work benefits and couples in receipt of a male median wage. The data reveal high levels of debt and credit dependence across the whole sample, which have a particularly damaging impact on the daily consumption patterns of the unemployed group. The problems this raises for comparative judgements about living standards are discussed, most notably the need for a longitudinal perspective in both the analysis of financial circumstances and the interpretation of data on current standards of living.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Social Policy , Volume 25 , Issue 4 , October 1996 , pp. 459 - 483
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

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