Housing benefit: slow on the take-up?

Housing benefit (HB) plays a pivotal dual role within both the income maintenance system for the UK and in terms subsidising housing for lower income households. But as a means-tested benefit open to both social and private tenants, it has significantly less than 100% take-up on both caseload (eligible tenants) and expenditure levels. Estimates suggest that £2.5 billion is unclaimed annually. This paper sets out how the HB system works and sets the argument in the context of the fundamental welfare reforms introduced and underway since 2010. The paper examines the literature on take-up and recent data on HB take-up before exploring the possible policy responses that might address the shortfall

Microfinance’s Impact on Education, Poverty, and Empowerment: A Case Study from the Bolivian Altiplano

This study explores the impact of microcredit on economic, educational, and empowerment levels of women from the Bolivian high plains who had acquired microcredit for over three years. Primary research was carried out with the help of a major NGO dedicated solely to microcredit. 100 in-depth personal interviews were conducted by the author in La Paz and El Alto from February to May 2007. This region was chosen because of the wide extent to which microcredit have been implemented here since the 1980s. The author created a control group from women who had never taken out a microcredit. The study employs the use of an established poverty scorecard to measure poverty levels over time. Using a comparative approach that allows a comparison between the independent control group and the loan group, the study finds that while the ownership of goods increased in the loan group, the benefits of microcredit on family educational attainment levels and empowerment are questionable. It is important to note that the vast majority of microcredit research does not use this type of independent control group.Microcredit, microfinance, empowerment, development, women, Bolivia.

International Literature Review for the Commission on Local Taxation

No abstract available

Who Loves Ya, David Simon? Notes towards placing The Wire’s depiction of African-Americans in the context of American TV crime drama

This essay surveyed a number of key shows from the past that purported to convey a liberal viewpoint, and which made race a focus. This was in order to suggest ways in which 'The Wire' might be part of a genre tradition – and equally how it might be seen as expanding the parameters of that tradition

A survey of e-book awareness and usage amongst students in an academic library

This paper reports on an online survey of e-book awareness and usage level in a British academic library. The main objectives of this survey were to: (a) assess students' awareness of the availability of e-books in their academic library; (b) measure the level of e-book usage among the students; and (c) identify the reasons why students do or don't use e-books. A self-selected sampling method was employed to generate a sample of students consisting of undergraduate and postgraduate instructional students registered with the University of Strathclyde for academic year 2005/6. An announcement email was posted to the student web portal for a period of three weeks inviting them to participate in the survey. A total of 1372 of responses were returned representing just under 10% response rate. In general, this survey found that e-book awareness was low as was the level of e-book usage amongst the students: 57% of students were not aware of the availability of e-books from the library and 60% of them had not used an e-book. Non-users commented that e-books were not widely advertised or promoted which has most probably contributed to this lack of awareness and non usage. Despite the low levels of e-book awareness and usage, non e-book users indicated their desire to learn more about e-books