scholarly journals Is demand side response a woman's work? Domestic labour and electricity shifting in low income homes in the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 ◽  
pp. 101558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlotte Johnson
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Domestic Labour ◽  
Woman's Work ◽  
Demand Side Response

scholarly journals Realising transition pathways for a more electric, low-carbon energy system in the United Kingdom: Challenges, insights and opportunities

2017 ◽  
Vol 231 (6) ◽  
pp. 440-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Chilvers ◽  
Timothy J Foxon ◽  
Stuart Galloway ◽  
Geoffrey P Hammond ◽  
David Infield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ◽  
Greenhouse Gas ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Gas Emissions ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Transition Pathways ◽  
Demand Side Response

The United Kingdom has placed itself on a transition towards a low-carbon economy and society, through the imposition of a legally-binding goal aimed at reducing its ‘greenhouse gas’ emissions by 80% by 2050 against a 1990 baseline. A set of three low-carbon, socio-technical transition pathways were developed and analysed via an innovative collaboration between engineers, social scientists and policy analysts. The pathways focus on the power sector, including the potential for increasing use of low-carbon electricity for heating and transport, within the context of critical European Union developments and policies. Their development started from narrative storylines regarding different governance framings, drawing on interviews and workshops with stakeholders and analysis of historical analogies. The quantified UK pathways were named Market Rules, Central Co-ordination and Thousand Flowers; each reflecting a dominant logic of governance arrangements. The aim of the present contribution was to use these pathways to explore what is needed to realise a transition that successfully addresses the so-called energy policy ‘ trilemma,’ i.e. the simultaneous delivery of low carbon, secure and affordable energy services. Analytical tools were developed and applied to assess the technical feasibility, social acceptability, and environmental and economic impacts of the pathways. Technological and behavioural developments were examined, alongside appropriate governance structures and regulations for these low-carbon transition pathways, as well as the roles of key energy system ‘actors’ (both large and small). An assessment of the part that could possibly be played by future demand side response was also undertaken in order to understand the factors that drive energy demand and energy-using behaviour, and reflecting growing interest in demand side response for balancing a system with high proportions of renewable generation. A set of interacting and complementary engineering and techno-economic models or tools were then employed to analyse electricity network infrastructure investment and operational decisions to assist market design and option evaluation. This provided a basis for integrating the analysis within a whole systems framework of electricity system development, together with the evaluation of future economic benefits, costs and uncertainties. Finally, the energy and environmental performance of the different energy mixes were appraised on a ‘life-cycle’ basis to determine the greenhouse gas emissions and other ecological or health burdens associated with each of the three transition pathways. Here, the challenges, insights and opportunities that have been identified over the transition towards a low-carbon future in the United Kingdom are described with the purpose of providing a valuable evidence base for developers, policy makers and other stakeholders.

scholarly journals Is the Healthy Start scheme associated with increased food expenditure in low-income families with young children in the United Kingdom?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennie Parnham ◽  
Christopher Millett ◽  
Kiara Chang ◽  
Anthony A Laverty ◽  
Stephanie von Hinke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Infant Formula ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Healthy Start ◽  
Food Purchases ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Total Food ◽  
Food Expenditure ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Uk

ABSTRACTIntroductionHealthy Start is a food assistance programme in the United Kingdom (UK) which aims to enable low-income families on welfare benefits to access a healthier diet through the provision of food vouchers. Healthy Start was launched in 2006 but remains under-evaluated. This study aims to determine whether participation in the Healthy Start scheme is associated with differences in food expenditure in a nationally representative sample of households in the UK.MethodsCross-sectional analyses of the Living Costs and Food Survey dataset (2010-2017). All households with a child (0-3 years) or pregnant woman were included in the analysis (n=4,869). Multivariable quantile regression compared the expenditure and quantity of fruit and vegetables (FV), infant formula and total food purchases. Four exposure groups were defined based on eligibility, participation and income (Healthy Start Participating, Eligible Non-participating, Nearly Eligible low-income and Ineligible high-income households).ResultsOf 876 eligible households, 54% participated in Healthy Start. No significant differences were found in FV or total food purchases between participating and eligible non-participating households, but infant formula purchases were lower in Healthy Start participating households. Ineligible higher-income households had higher purchases of FV.ConclusionThis study did not find evidence of an association between Healthy Start participation and FV expenditure. Moreover, inequalities in FV purchasing persist in the UK. Higher participation and increased voucher value may be needed to improve programme performance and counteract the harmful effects of poverty on diet.

scholarly journals Entitlements, Capabilities, and Crisis in the United Kingdom

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-54
Author(s):  
Christopher Hartworth ◽  
Carol Richards ◽  
Ian Convery
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Social Welfare ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Political Debate ◽  
Social Welfare Programs ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Causes Of Poverty

This paper examines whether Amartya Sen’s entitlements and capabilities concepts can be transferred in their application from low-income countries to high-income countries, specifically Cumbria, Northern England. Originally used to understand the causes of famine, these concepts have previously been used in several different geographical contexts to broadly understand poverty and inequality but almost entirely in low-income countries. This paper applies these concepts to a United Kingdom context in an attempt to understand the causes of poverty and inequality among people experiencing “livelihood crisis.” The research uses data from two nongovernmental social welfare projects to examine the causes of crisis and the remedial effects of the intervention. Our findings indicate that these concepts can help to explain how people find themselves in crisis in Cumbria. On a broader level, they can also be used to explain poverty, inequality, and disadvantage in communities in the United Kingdom. The authors put forward that entitlements and capabilities provide a useful framework to advance the policy and political debate on the causes of poverty by providing a straightforward language and broad application. Entitlement and capabilities can also assist social welfare programs in framing their aims and objectives and through improved understanding about the causes of inequality, will be better able to support people out of disadvantage by strengthening entitlements and building capabilities, without the necessity of large-scale investment.

Contribution of child maintenance to lone mothers’ income in five countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-272 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mia Hakovirta ◽  
Merita Jokela
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Low Income ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Income Quintile ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Lone Mothers ◽  
Social Transfers ◽  
Child Maintenance

This study uses the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS) data from 2013 to study (1) the contribution of child maintenance to the income packages of lone mothers, (2) the proportion of lone mothers receiving child maintenance and the level of child maintenance for those receiving it and (3) the extent to which child maintenance is helping families who may need it the most (those at the low end of the income distribution), compared with families with moderate or higher incomes. Our analysis covers data from five countries: Finland, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom and the United States. Our results show that in all countries except the United Kingdom, labour income is an important source of income for lone mothers and less than 40 percent of income comes from social transfers. Child maintenance contributes significantly to the income of lone mothers, particularly in Spain, followed by the United States and Germany. We find the highest coverage of child maintenance receipt in Finland. In the other countries, only one-third of lone mother households receive child maintenance. The median amounts of maintenance are the lowest in the United Kingdom and Finland, but there is great variation in the level of child maintenance within countries. The comparison of the quintile groups reveals that in the United States, the lone mothers in lowest income quintile do not seem to benefit as much from child maintenance compared with the highest income quintiles, whereas in Finland, Germany and Spain, more lone mothers in the low-income quintiles receive maintenance. However, amounts are quite equal across income quintiles.

scholarly journals The Healthy Start scheme and its association with food expenditure in low-income families in the UK

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
J Parnham ◽  
C Millett ◽  
K Chang ◽  
S von Hinke ◽  
J Pearson-Stuttard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Infant Formula ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Healthy Start ◽  
Fruit And Vegetable ◽  
Food Purchasing ◽  
Food Purchases ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Uk

Abstract Background The Healthy Start programme is a statutory benefit-in-kind in the United Kingdom (UK) which aims to enable low-income families to purchase fruit, vegetables, cow's milk and infant formula through the provision of vouchers. The scheme was introduced in 2006, however, the effect on food purchasing in participating households has not been evaluated within an eligible population. This study aimed to determine whether participation in the Healthy Start (HS) scheme is associated with differences in food purchasing in a representative sample of households in the United Kingdom. Methods Cross-sectional analysis of the Living Costs and Food Survey dataset (2010-2017). All households with a child (0-3 years) or pregnant woman were included in the analysis (n = 4,869). Multivariable quantile regression was used to compare the expenditure and quantity of fruit and vegetable, infant formula and total food purchases between Healthy Start participating, eligible non-participating, nearly-eligible and ineligible households. Results 54% (n = 475) of eligible households participated in Healthy Start. After accounting for covariates, no significant difference was found in the quantity or expenditure of fruit and vegetable purchases between Healthy Start participating and non-participating households. Fruit and vegetable expenditure (£/week) was found to be higher in nearly eligible (β1.60; 95% CI 0.79, 2.41) and ineligible households (β2.56; 95% CI 1.77, 3.35) compared to Healthy Start eligible households. Conclusions The present study did not demonstrate significant differences in the fruit and vegetable expenditure of HS participating and non-participating households. The analysis demonstrates that inequalities in fruit and vegetable purchasing persists in the UK. Improved participation and increased voucher value may be needed to promote well-being and counteract the harmful effect of poverty on fruit and vegetables purchasing. Key messages The study found no evidence of different food purchases between Healthy Start participating and non-participating households. Increased voucher value may be needed to counteract food-price inflation. The paper reflected persistent socioeconomic inequalities in the UK, indicating the Healthy Start scheme does not sufficiently counteract the harmful effects of poverty on food purchasing.

Food and Nutrition Security at Risk in Later Life: Evidence from the United Kingdom Expenditure & Food Survey

2010 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 471-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHRIS DEEMING
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Oldest Old ◽  
Household Characteristics ◽  
Food And Nutrition Security ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Food And Nutrition

AbstractSecuring adequate food and nutrition is essential for the maintenance of our health and function in society. This article examines the household characteristics associated with food and nutrition security in the United Kingdom population aged 60 years and over. Data are taken from the Expenditure and Food Survey, a continuous cross-sectional survey of household expenditure, food consumption and income. Survey data for 2002–05 provided a total sample of 5,600 households. Household food consumption is evaluated using national Dietary Reference Values recommended by the Department of Health. A multivariate logistic regression model examines the risk of being food and nutrition insecure by individual and household characteristics. The results suggest that certain sections of the older population are significantly more at risk of food insecurity than others: low-income households, the oldest-old, elderly from black and minority ethnic groups, those with a disability and men living alone. Influencing nutrition of elderly people in the home is complex and poses a major challenge to social policy. Coordinated activity at national and local levels will be required to help ensure that some of the most vulnerable members of society achieve healthy balanced diets.

scholarly journals The hedonic delights of frugality: Pound store shopping in austere times

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison Hulme
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Popular Culture ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
The State ◽  
Consumer Spending ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Crucial Feature ◽  
Economic Climate ◽  
Economic Responsibility

This article explores the attitudes of pound store shoppers in the United Kingdom and the ways in which ‘consumptive thrift’ (spending to save) has become embedded in popular culture. Through an analysis of ethnography carried out in low-income urban areas with regular pound store shoppers, it argues that a culture of bargain seeking exists, which is unique to the current era. While in previous eras hedonic pleasures were acknowledged, including those of spontaneity and disposability, they were not dialectically linked to economic motivations in the same way as they now are. Factors such as frugality and ‘saving’ have made bargain stores a crucial feature in an economic climate that requires consumer spending but preaches individual economic responsibility. The bargain seeker’s hedonic pleasures are therefore utilized by the State as part of strategic economic pathways through straightened times.

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