A fascinating aspect of our current discussion about what Scotland might be like depending on what future constitutional alternatives we chose is the extent to which we don’t really examine what Scotland is like now.
We do of course, do endless introspection – some call it navel gazing – but we don’t often examine the detailed reality of experience here and now, and we sometimes tend to operate on the basis of ‘taken for granted’ assumptions that can look fragile when we examine them in any detail.
Poverty is one of those unexamined aspects of life in Scotland.
That might seem a strange claim, since it’s something that is talked about a lot – at least in the media and in professional and party conference events – but talking about something is not the same as examining it. And if we don’t do the latter then we’ll continue to talk without addressing the potential complex solutions that might be needed to actually tackle poverty. Just labelling one facet of social life as a form of poverty is not good enough.
So, elsewhere in this edition of Scottish Policy Now, we publish a report on the campaign by Age Scotland to ensure greater equity in the operation of the concessionary bus travel scheme in Scotland. Now the bus scheme is often claimed to be one of the ‘successes of devolution‘ and the scale and value of the concessionary travel card that the government issues to some people with disabilities and all over 60s should not be underestimated. After all, on one calculation, such bus vouchers are worth almost half the cash value of the basic state pension.
talking about something is not the same as examining it. And if we don’t do the latter then we’ll continue to talk without addressing the potential complex solutions that might be needed to actually tackle poverty.
What you might consider a less good idea from Age Scotland is to label this problem as one of ‘transport poverty‘. It is likely – as in most aspects of life – that those on lower incomes are more directly affected, but not clear that this can be readily labelled a poverty issue.
The difficulty with labelling various forms of disadvantage as yet another sub set of ‘poverty’ is that it runs the risk of confusing thinking about how we might effectively tackle such disadvantage.
Let’s just consider two aspects of poverty that are more frequently – and rightly – discussed than other possible disadvantages that households may suffer from; fuel poverty and child poverty.
We’ve recently had public discussion of ‘child poverty‘, particularly in Scotland, where the DFM made a major speech on the issue. We have also had continuing public debate about ‘fuel poverty‘ and the long term impact on households of increased fuel costs, which currently seem set on an inexorable rise.
The difficulty that I can see in assuming that child poverty and fuel poverty are closely linked, and that therefore there is a common solution to addressing both, is that the figures available don’t support that analysis.
The difficulty with labelling various forms of disadvantage as yet another sub set of 'poverty' is that it runs the risk of confusing thinking about how we might effectively tackle such disadvantage
Council % child poverty % household poverty
Aberdeen 16 23
Aberdeenshire 9 35
Shetland 7 33
Orkney 8 47
Eilean Siar 11 53
North Ayrshire 25 30
The picture is similar across Scotland; in urban and urban dominated areas the differential between figures for child poverty and fuel poverty is much less than it is in rural areas and the islands, with their much more sparsely distributed populations than are typical in the Central Belt. We should also bear in mind that Aberdeenshire and Shetland, in particular, consistently show some of the highest levels of employment earnings of any council areas in Scotland. In these areas it seems unlikely that more cash alone is the answer to tackling fuel poverty, though it certainly would be in respect of child poverty.
The policy difficulty of not examining often long held assumptions is that with some unexamined assumptions we then make policies; decisions and laws. We wonder – later – why they don’t work.
More analysis of both environment and circumstances, along with better design might help.
By Professor Richard Kerley
OTHER ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
- Editorial
- Its Blue Lights and Prevention
- In My View...
- Small Business Growth Needs An Effective Finance Function
- International School Meals Day - Policy in Practice
- ScotRail's Focus on the Future
- Growing Our Rail Network
- SNH wants to encourage people onto trains in the Year of Natural Scotland
- How Can We Innovate Using the Internet?
- Scotland: Rich Country? Poor Country? Rich People? Poor People?
- So, how do you do things over there cobber?
- Policy Shorts
Issue 5
GOVERNMENT, PUBLIC SERVICES, MODERNISATION
- The Road to Regionalisation? Conversations on Further Education
- Public Services Reform and Public Opinion
- The Enabling State - A new relationship between public services and the public they serve?
- Why Complaints Matter
- Can you shove your granny on the bus?
- How Diverse Can We Be? The Commission on School Reform
- What is the future for Social Investment in Scotland?
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