Poverty in Scotland 2021

Published in association with Glasgow Caledonian University SPIRU and WiSE Centre, The Poverty Alliance and I-SPHERE, Heriot-Watt University


Poverty in Scotland 2021: towards a 2030 without poverty. 

Scotland has set statutory targets towards ending child poverty by 2030, and the Scottish government has made wider commitments to eradicating poverty and hunger altogether. Poverty in Scotland 2021 provides a comprehensive but accessible state of the nation assessment of how far the country has come in achieving these goals, and what is now needed to make them a reality.  

The book draws on the latest data and evidence to give an overview of the scale, nature and extent of poverty, and the impact it has on people and communities. Chapters explore:

• How poverty in Scotland is defined and measured
• What causes poverty in Scotland, and whether that poverty is falling
• How policies and processes are working to tackle poverty
• The extent to which the lived experience of poverty is shaping policy

Over a million of Scotland’s citizens, and nearly one in four of its children, were still living in poverty before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic struck. This indispensable book brings together contributions from leading experts, academics and practitioners to set out how various policy tools, from public finance, economic development and social care to social security, employment and transport can now be utilised to ensure the ambition of a Scotland free of poverty is realised. 

Poverty in Scotland 2021 is the latest in a series providing an essential resource for politicians, policy makers, teachers, community activists, service providers, academics, students and all those working to end poverty. 

Edited by: John H McKendrick, John Dickie, Fiona McHardy, Angela O’Hagan, Stephen Sinclair, Morag C Treanor