Poverty, Social Exclusion and Welfare in Rural Britain: A paper from 'A New Rural Agenda'

This paper draws on a broad range of findings from different studies, undertaken from the 1980s to date, to paint a comprehensive picture of poverty and social exclusion in rural areas. The chapter also considers policy responses to rural forms of poverty and exclusion through a discussion of the effects of New Labour's welfare programmes on rural areas and of the development of rural anti-poverty initiatives.

The paper is extracted from the book A New Rural Agenda, edited by Jane Midgley. Copies of the book are available here.