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Special event
Launch of the Social Policy in a Cold Climate research programme

CASE would like to invite you to the launch of Social Policy in a Cold Climate

Monday 1st July 2013, 11.00 am - 12.30 pm, followed by a reception with lunch provided.

Venue: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, London School of Economics.

The event will present the initial findings from the Social Policy in a Cold Climate programme, which presents a comprehensive final assessment of the impact of the New Labour government and a baseline position for the Coalition goverment. Looking at the key areas of tax and social security, early years education, and health and social care it considers:

• What did the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown aim to do?
• What did they spend to achieve these objectives, in real terms and in historic and international perspective?
• What did the money produce?
• How did economic and social outcomes change overall, and in particular how did the distribution of social outcomes change, widening or narrowing gaps, between and within social groups?

Later papers will provide similar analysis of the first years of the Coalition social policies.

In addition, the event will launch the latest update to the National Equalities Panel report which examines how outcomes have changed for different groups following the recession

The event will start with an introduction on behalf of the main funders, then:

• An overview of the main findings of the Social Policy in a Cold Climate work by Dr Ruth Lupton
• An overview of the update on the National Equalities Panel survey, by Professor John Hills
• Three responses from a panel of comentators:
  • James Kempton of Centre Forum
  • Matt Oakley of Policy Exchange
  • Nick Pearce of IPPR
• Questions and discussion

The event will be followed by a buffet lunch and an opportunity to explore some of the data using the new website data exploration tools.

To reserve your place email Cheryl Conner

Directions can be found here

Podcast video and audio recordings of the event will be available

Special event
Launch of new book 'Wealth in the UK: Distribution, Accumulation and Policy'

CASE would like to invite you to the launch of a new book being published by the Oxford University Press

Wealth in the UK: Distribution, Accumulation, and Policy

By John Hills, Francesca Bastagli, Frank Cowell, Howard Glennerster, Eleni Karagiannaki, and Abigail McKnight

Wednesday 22nd May, 6.30 pm to 7.45 pm

This is a public (unticketed) LSE event, open to all.
Venue: Wolfson Theatre, New Academic Building, London School of Economics.

Directions can be found here

This new book presents findings from a research programme on the distribution of wealth carried out in CASE over the last few years with the support of the Nuffield Foundation and Economic and Social Research Council. It presents new information on wealth inequality and how it has changed, how people accumulate wealth through capital gains and inheritance, and the effects of wealth-holding on life chances. It argues that despite its great importance, public policies towards personal wealth are inconsistent, contradictory and often regressive. 

The event will be chaired by Howard Glennerster, Emeritus Professor of Social Policy, LSE. John Hills and Abigail McKnight introduce some of the main findings, followed by a general discussion. The event will be followed by an informal reception.

EOPP: Recent Publications
Can Basic Entrepreneurship Transform the Economic Lives of the Poor?

Abstract

The world’s poorest people lack capital and skills and toil for others in occupations that others shun. Using a large-scale and long-term randomized control trial in Bangladesh this paper demonstrates that sizable transfers of assets and skills enable the poorest women to shift out of agricultural labor and into running small businesses. This shift, which persists and strengthens after assistance is withdrawn, leads to a 38% increase in earnings. Inculcating basic entrepreneurship, where severely disadvantaged women take on occupations which were the preserve of non-poor women, is shown to be a powerful means of transforming the economic lives of the poor.

Keywords: asset transfers, capital constraints, vocational training, occupational
choice, structural change, poverty.

Link to the paper

LSE Housing Plus Think Tank
Welfare Reform and Poverty: the next big challenge for social landlords

Tuesday 4th June 2013
National Communities Resource Centre, Trafford Hall, near Chester

Chaired by Professor Anne Power, London School of Economics and Liz Richardson, University of Manchester

An open forum led by LSE Housing and Communities to uncover the positive contributions of social landlords and demonstrate their value.

For more information, please see the Think Tank summary and programme.