Revisiting the “poverty line”

As we discuss the current state of relative and absolute poverty in the UK, it's worth revisiting the origins of the concept of a "poverty line" in the work of Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree. Booth’s definition of poverty was intentionally relative, given that he was using a description of class, rather than income. In …

The Charles Booth maps as a mirror to society

I am struck by a quote in today's Standard (and many international press outlets) that Prime Minister Theresa May has announced a new website, Ethnicity Facts and Figures: " She said: "In doing this groundbreaking work we are holding a mirror up to our society. The idea itself is not new, Charles Booth's maps of …