Tibor Barna: the redistributive impact of taxes and social policies in the UK 1937-2005

Regular annual studies made by the Office of National Statistics in the UK are intended to show how far taxing household incomes and giving benefits in cash and kind to households redistributes income from rich to poor. The first attempt to do this in the UK was made by Tibor Barna for the year 1937. Subsequently his approach has been replicated and elaborated. This study reworks and compares data from various studies to see how the scale and nature of the state’s redistributive role has changed over the past seventy years. Differences in methods and data make comparisons difficult but some broad conclusions can be drawn. Some methodological issues are also discussed on the question of how to approach household equivalisation when services in kind are treated as income

US poverty studies and poverty measurement: the past twenty-five years

This paper discusses the contribution made by American social scientists to the study of poverty in the past twenty five years. It has three parts. The first concentrates on the measurement of poverty and the fact that the US poverty line remained unchanged in that period despite its increasingly important deficiencies. Proposals to produce a revised poverty line and an Annual Poverty Report are advanced. The second part traces the change of emphasis in US writing about poverty both in terms of academic emphasis and prescription. The final part considers the policy impact of American work on poverty policy beyond America. This paper has been published as: "US Poverty Studies and Poverty Measurement: The past twenty-five years", Social Service Review, March 200

US Poverty Studies and Poverty Measurement: The past 25 years

This paper discusses the contribution made by American social scientists to the study of poverty in the past twenty five years. It has three parts. The first concentrates on the measurement of poverty and the fact that the US poverty line remained unchanged in that period despite its increasingly important deficiencies. Proposals to produce a revised poverty line and an Annual Poverty Report are advanced. The second part traces the change of emphasis in US writing about poverty both in terms of academic emphasis and prescription. The final part considers the policy impact of American work on poverty policy beyond America.Poverty, poverty measurement, United States

United Kingdom Education 1997-2001

This paper reviews the achievements of the Labour Government's education policy between 1997 and 2001. Tony Blair claimed that his Government would make education a priority. The first part of the paper reviews the scale of education spending in relation to the economy at large and within the education budget. The second part of the paper looks at the productivity of schools. How far have the changes that have affected schools in the past ten years and the past five in particular affected the quality of school achievements? The paper suggests there have been significant improvements not just on average but especially in the gains made in poor areas and in the least good schools. Finally the paper discusses the funding of higher education, the introduction of income related loans to cover maintenance and up front fees. The paper concludes some serious errors were made in policy design. Even so the use of the Inland Revenue as the collection agency was a successful innovation and should be built upon.education productivity, higher education finance, Labour education policy

A Wealth Tax Abandoned: The role of the UK Treasury 1974-6

The distribution of wealth is widening in many countries and with it the importance of inherited wealth. In 1974 a Labour Government came to power in the United Kingdom committed to introducing an annual wealth tax. It left office without doing so. Using the official archives of the time and those of a key advisor this paper traces both the origins of the policy and its fate in Whitehall. It explores two related questions. What does this experience tell us about the role of the civil service in the policy process in the UK and what lessons might be learned by those wishing to tackle the issue of widening wealth disparities today?wealth tax, policy process, UK Treasury

L'educació al Regne Unit

Este estudio evalúa los resultados de las políticas de educación del gobierno laborista británico entre 1997 y 2005. Tony Blair aseguró que su gobierno convertiría la educación en un asunto prioritario. La primera parte del estudio evalúa el grado de gasto educativo en comparación con el resto de la economía. Después de un descenso en el porcentaje de los ingresos nacionales dedicados a educación en los años previos al 2000, que obedecía a los planes de gasto anteriores de los conservadores, se produjo un incremento significativo del gasto. La segunda parte del estudio analiza el impacto del cambio de incentivos que las escuelas han experimentado en cuanto a los resultados escolares. Entre estos cambios hay la introducción de un plan de estudios nacional, el examen regular de los alumnos, la publicación de los resultados de estos exámenes por escuelas, la devolución a las escuelas de parte de los presupuestos y la flexibilización de la elección de escuela por parte de los padres, y la asignación de fondos en función de los alumnos como base de la financiación escolar. Todo eso ha llevado la escuela, en efecto, a una situación de quasi mercado. La tercera parte del estudio analiza la financiación de la educación superior. Después de corregir los fracasos iniciales de diseño de los programas, el nuevo patrón de financiación universitario en Inglaterra se ha convertido en un modelo único en Europa. El estudiante devuelve los créditos que haya utilizado para pagar las tasas y cubrir sus gastos cuando se ha licenciado, en función de los ingresos y mediante la declaración de renta. Los estudiantes procedentes de familias pobres reciben becas estatales que cubren tanto las matrículas como los gastos. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Cette étude évalue les résultats des politiques d’enseignement du gouvernement travailliste britannique entre 1997 et 2005 ; Tony Blair avait assuré que son gouvernement ferait de l’enseignement une affaire prioritaire. La première partie de l’étude évalue le niveau des dépenses éducatives par rapport au reste de l’économie. Après une baisse du pourcentage des revenus nationaux consacrés à l’enseignement dans les années antérieures à l’an 2000, qui obéissait aux plans de dépenses antérieurs dus aux conservateurs, il se produisit une augmentation significative de la dépense. La deuxième partie de l’étude analyse l’impact du changement des incitations vécu par les écoles en ce qui concerne les résultats scolaires. Parmi ces changements, il y a l’introduction d’un cursus national d’études, l’examen régulier des élèves, la publication des résultats de ces examens par écoles, le remboursement aux écoles d’une partie des budgets et la flexibilisation du choix de l’école de la part des parents, ainsi que la dotation de fonds en fonction des élèves comme base du financement scolaire. Tout cela a mené l’école, en effet, à une situation de quasi-marché. La troisième partie de l’étude analyse le financement de l’enseignement supérieur. Après avoir corrigé les échecs initiaux de la conception des programmes, le nouveau modèle de financement universitaire en Angleterre est devenu un modèle unique en Europe. En effet, l’étudiant rembourse les crédits qu’il a utilisés pour payer les frais d’inscription et couvrir ses frais lorsqu’il a terminé sa licence en fonction de ses revenus et grâce à la déclaration d’impôts. Les étudiants provenant de familles pauvres reçoivent des bourses d’État qui couvrent aussi bien les frais d’inscription que les autres frais.This work assesses the outcome of the education policies of the Labour Government in Britain between 1997 and 2005. Tony Blair promised that his government would make education a priority issue. The first part of the study evaluates the level of investment in education in the context of overall government spending. Despite an initial drop in the percentage of the national revenue dedicated to education in the years prior to 2000 – in keeping with the previous spending plans of the Conservatives – a significant increase in spending followed. The second part of the study analyses the impact of the changes imposed on schools in relation to performance. These included the introduction of a national study plan, the regular examining of pupils, the publication of exam results by schools, the refunding of parts of the school budget, increased freedom for parents to choose their children’s school, and the allocation of funds according to pupil numbers as the basis for school financing. The result of this approach has been to leave schooling in what is effectively a quasi-market situation. The third part of the study deals with the financing of third-level education. Despite some initial shortcomings in design, the British approach to funding university education has now become a model of its kind in Europe. Following graduation, the student repays the loans taken out to cover university fees and expenses through tax returns, according to his/her level of income. Students from poor families receive state grants covering both registration fees and living expenses.Este estudio evalúa los resultados de las políticas de educación del gobierno laborista británico entre 1997 y 2005. Tony Blair aseguró que su gobierno convertiría la educación en un asunto prioritario. La primera parte del estudio evalúa el grado de gasto educativo en comparación con el resto de la economía. Después de un descenso en el porcentaje de los ingresos nacionales dedicados a educación en los años previos al 2000, que obedecía a los planes de gasto anteriores de los conservadores, se produjo un incremento significativo del gasto. La segunda parte del estudio analiza el impacto del cambio de incentivos que las escuelas han experimentado en cuanto a los resultados escolares. Entre estos cambios hay la introducción de un plan de estudios nacional, el examen regular de los alumnos, la publicación de los resultados de estos exámenes por escuelas, la devolución a las escuelas de parte de los presupuestos y la flexibilización de la elección de escuela por parte de los padres, y la asignación de fondos en función de los alumnos como base de la financiación escolar. Todo eso ha llevado la escuela, en efecto, a una situación de quasi mercado. La tercera parte del estudio analiza la financiación de la educación superior. Después de corregir los fracasos iniciales de diseño de los programas, el nuevo patrón de financiación universitario en Inglaterra se ha convertido en un modelo único en Europa. El estudiante devuelve los créditos que haya utilizado para pagar las tasas y cubrir sus gastos cuando se ha licenciado, en función de los ingresos y mediante la declaración de renta. Los estudiantes procedentes de familias pobres reciben becas estatales que cubren tanto las matrículas como los gastos

Reducing the risks to health: the role of social protection: report of the Social Protection Task Group for the Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post 2010.

We demonstrate that the introduction of social protection systems as well as their generosity and coverage have significant impacts on health. Who receives the benefits within the household affects the health outcomes for the family. The eligibility for and administration of benefits matters. We examine the growth of means testing in the UK and its recent modifications. We find serious difficulties facing those with long term medical conditions who are on the margins of the labour force. Collaboration between the health and social protection systems is poor. We give particular attention to gender and health and the implications this has for the social protection system. We also consider the fate of groups like asylum seekers who are excluded from its normal working.

Poverty, Social Exclusion and Neighbourhood: Studying the area bases of social exclusion

Are-based policies have become a significant part of the new Labour Government's approach to tackling social exclusion. This paper reviews the long-running debate about whether area-based policies can make a significant impact on poverty and social exclusion. There is a strong tradition of academic work that argues that this is a misguided strategy. The authors argue that recent work, both in the US and the UK, suggests that there may be causal factors at work which derive from area-based problems that suggest area-based solutions. However, too little is understood about what these factors are and how they might be addressed. Deeper local studies are required to tease out these effects. The paper then goes on to describe how the authors have gone about choosing twelve areas for particular study. In the course of doing so, much has been learned about the characteristics of the most deprived areas in the country and where they are.neighbourhoods, poverty, social exclusion