SD1S024 - Poverty, Inequality and Social Welfare 01 Sep 2024 - 31 Aug 2030 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: SD1S024
Module Title: Poverty, Inequality and Social Welfare
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Leadership and Public Services
Faculty Sub Group: Leadership and Public Services
Module Leader: Stuart Jones
Module Team: Wendy Booth, David Phillips
First Intended Intake: SEP 2024 Final Year of Intake:
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 4
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100505 - sociology
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2024
Valid To 31 Aug 2030

Module Aims

Module Aims 

1. To provide a historical understanding of poverty and inequality in the UK 

2. To examine the relationship between the poor and the state over the last 100 years 

3. To detail the major policy and institutional developments from the Poor Law to the contemporary welfare state 

4. To critically evaluate the concept of social exclusion, its origins and its impact. 

5. To provide a detailed analysis of the contemporary pattern of poverty, inequality and social exclusion in 

Wales and the UK 

6. To provide an understanding of the role of contemporary social policy in addressing issues of poverty, 

inequality and social exclusion 

Content Summary

The module will examine the historical existence of poverty and inequality in British society and the evolution of 

state derived policies designed to control, regulate and alleviate poverty. There will be a concern with the definition and measurement of poverty and inequality running throughout the module as a constant theme. It will continue to critically examine the concept of social exclusion and its relevance to our understanding of 

multidimensional disadvantage in contemporary society. 

Through exploring concepts such as lesser eligibility and the deserving and undeserving poor the module will 

also link the historical origins of attitudes to poverty to contemporary debates. The module will examine the postwar 

development of a welfare state and the Beveridge Report which underpinned it. It will continue by examining New Right attitudes to poverty, through to New Labour and the Third Way and the current 

development of policy in the context of fiscal austerity and compassionate conservatism. 

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Seminars 40
Independent Study 88
Directed Study 72
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate an understanding of the historical development of ideological perspectives on poverty and inequality in the UK.
LO2 Discuss the relationship between the poor and the state in terms of regulation, control and alleviation of poverty

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Synchronous Onsite Oral Assessment Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) 1 A Presentation on poverty and social exclusion 10 N/A 50 No 40
Asynchronous Assessment Essay 1 An essay on policy relating to that area of poverty and social exclusion 0 1500 50 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Presentation (Synchronous Onsite) 1
Essay 1

Reading List

Alcock, P. (2006) Understanding Poverty. Palgrave Macmillan 

Alcock, P. (2008) Social policy in Britain. (3rd Ed). Basingstoke Palgrave Macmillan Bailey, N. (2017). Employment, poverty and social exclusion. In Poverty and social exclusion in the UK (pp. 159-178). Policy Press. 

Beckett, L. (2023) Child poverty in Wales: exploring the challenges for schooling future generations. 1st ed. Cardiff, Wales: The University of Wales Press.  

Bristow, D., Skeels, A. Roberts, M. and Carter, I. (2022). Poverty and social exclusion: A way forward. 

Dermott, E. and Main, G. (2017) Poverty and social exclusion in the UK: the nature and extent of the problem. The Policy Press.   

Dunn, A. (2023). Necessities Laid Bare: An examination of possible justifications for Peter Townsend’s purely relative definition of poverty. Journal of Social Policy, 52(2), 237-255. 

Gordon, D. (2017). Measuring poverty in the UK. In Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK (pp. 17-40). Policy Press. 

Hills, J. and Stewart, K (2005) A more equal society? : New Labour, poverty, inequality and exclusion Bristol : Policy Press 

Holtom, D. (2017). Narrowing the Gap: Lessons from RAISE Ten Years On. Wales Journal of Education, 19(2).  

Shildrick, T, MacDonald, R, Webster, C and Garthwaite, K (2012) \\\"Poverty and Insecurity: Life in Low Pay No-Pay Britain\\\", Policy Press, Bristol 

Townsend, P. (1993). The International Analysis of Poverty. London: Harvester/Wheatsheaf. 

Walker, A and Walker, C (1997) (Eds) .Britain divided : the growth of social exclusion in the 1980s and 1990s CPAG: London 

Websites: 

JRF www.jrf.org 

Child Poverty Action Group www.cpag.org.uk 

Oxfam http://www.oxfam.org.uk/resources/ukpoverty/index.html 

www.oxfam.org 

The Poverty Site http://www.poverty.org.uk 

CASE http://sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case/