The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit
In this paper we explore whether the recent rise in food bank usage in the UK has been induced by the roll-out of Universal Credit. We bring together official statistics on the introduction of Universal Credit with data on food bank usage from the UK’s largest food bank network. We test the relation...
| Auteurs principaux: | , |
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| Format: | Journal article |
| Langue: | English |
| Publié: |
Cambridge University Press
2020
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| _version_ | 1826282207239471104 |
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| author | Reeves, AS Loopstra, R |
| author_facet | Reeves, AS Loopstra, R |
| author_sort | Reeves, AS |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | In this paper we explore whether the recent rise in food bank usage in the UK has been
induced by the roll-out of Universal Credit. We bring together official statistics on the introduction of Universal Credit with data on food bank usage from the UK’s largest food
bank network. We test the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution using a range of causal identification strategies (such as fixed-effects model,
Granger causality tests, and matching designs) and consistently find that an increase in
the prevalence of Universal Credit is associated with more food parcel distribution. We
also find that the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution is
stronger in areas where food banks are active, suggesting food insecurity arising from
Universal Credit may be hidden in places where food banks are largely unavailable. Though
it is challenging to implement any large-scale change to social security, our analysis suggests systemic and persistent problems with this new system. Whilst the logic of Universal Credit is intuitively appealing, it has also proven to be unforgiving, leaving many
struggling to make ends meet. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:40:21Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:82d4b824-1afa-4a66-995b-8313a30c6b64 |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T00:40:21Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:82d4b824-1afa-4a66-995b-8313a30c6b642022-03-26T21:40:05ZThe continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal CreditJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:82d4b824-1afa-4a66-995b-8313a30c6b64EnglishSymplectic ElementsCambridge University Press2020Reeves, ASLoopstra, RIn this paper we explore whether the recent rise in food bank usage in the UK has been induced by the roll-out of Universal Credit. We bring together official statistics on the introduction of Universal Credit with data on food bank usage from the UK’s largest food bank network. We test the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution using a range of causal identification strategies (such as fixed-effects model, Granger causality tests, and matching designs) and consistently find that an increase in the prevalence of Universal Credit is associated with more food parcel distribution. We also find that the relationship between Universal Credit and food parcel distribution is stronger in areas where food banks are active, suggesting food insecurity arising from Universal Credit may be hidden in places where food banks are largely unavailable. Though it is challenging to implement any large-scale change to social security, our analysis suggests systemic and persistent problems with this new system. Whilst the logic of Universal Credit is intuitively appealing, it has also proven to be unforgiving, leaving many struggling to make ends meet. |
| spellingShingle | Reeves, AS Loopstra, R The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title | The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title_full | The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title_fullStr | The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title_full_unstemmed | The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title_short | The continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the UK: the roll-out of Universal Credit |
| title_sort | continuing effects of welfare reform on food bank use in the uk the roll out of universal credit |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT reevesas thecontinuingeffectsofwelfarereformonfoodbankuseintheuktherolloutofuniversalcredit AT loopstrar thecontinuingeffectsofwelfarereformonfoodbankuseintheuktherolloutofuniversalcredit AT reevesas continuingeffectsofwelfarereformonfoodbankuseintheuktherolloutofuniversalcredit AT loopstrar continuingeffectsofwelfarereformonfoodbankuseintheuktherolloutofuniversalcredit |