There is now a considerable literature on poverty and inequality in the UK and Japan. This section details key publications, and particularly those which have addressed these issues from a comparative perspective. Details of relevant websites are also included.
Academic articles
Abe, A. (ed.) (2012) ‘Special issue: “social inclusion in the UK and Japan”’, Quarterly of Social Security Research, 48, 1.
[阿部 彩編 (2012) 特集: 「日英における貧困・社会的包摂政策: 成功, 失敗と希望」『季刊社会保障研究』48, 1.]
A panel discussion and contributions from academics and policy-makers, including David Gordon, Makoto Yuasa, Danny Dorling, Tomoki Nakaya, Kazumasa Hanaoka, Jonathan Bradshaw and Michihiko Tokoro, Kohei Komamura, Masami Iwata, Toshiaki Tachibanaki.
Alcock, P. (2004) ‘The influence of dynamic perspectives on poverty analysis and anti-poverty policy in the UK’, Journal of Social Policy, 33, 3, 395–416.
A discussion about the impact of agency on the dynamic analysis of poverty and policy interventions on poverty, providing an overview of recent academic debates.
Bradshaw, J. and Finch, N. (2003) ‘Overlaps in dimensions of poverty’, Journal of Social Policy, 32, 4, 513–25.
Seeks the reasons for the little overlap in the group of poor people defined by three different measures, and suggests data triangulation to raise the reliability of results.
D'Ercole, M. (2006) ‘Income inequality and poverty in OCED countries: how does Japan compare’, The Japanese Journal of Social Security Policy, 5, 1, 1–15.
Provides a comparative analysis of OCED statistics for an improved understanding of income inequality and poverty in Japan.
Dorling, D. (2012) ‘Inequality and injustice: some news from Britain’, Urban Studies, 33, 5, 621–9.
An explanation of rising income inequality in Britain, as well as its relationship with poverty and social injustice.
Jacob, D. (2000) ‘Low inequality with low redistribution? An analysis of income distribution in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan compared to Britain’, CASEpaper 33, London: LSE.
A study of income inequality in Japan in an international context.
Marmot, M. (2005) ‘Social determinants of health inequalities’, The Lancet, 365, 9464, 1099–104.
A brief review and discussion on the role of social factors in decreasing the inequality in health across the countries or within the countries.
Society for the Study of Poverty (ed.) (2008–12) The Study of Poverty, Akashi Shoten.
[貧困研究会編 (2008–12)「貧困研究」明石書店.]
A key Japanese journal in the field of poverty studies, playing a crucial role in debates about poverty in Japan.
Tachibanaki, T. (2006) ‘Inequality and poverty in Japan’, The Japanese Economic Review, 57, 1, 1–27.
An empirical study of inequality and poverty in Japan.
Books and book chapters
Abe, A. (2008) Kodomo no hinkon: Nihon no fukohei o kangaeru [Child Poverty: Rethinking Fairness in Japan], Iwanami Shoten. [阿部 彩 (2008)「子どもの貧困―日本の不公平を考える」岩波新書.]
Provides an empirical analysis of child poverty and earlier disadvantages in Japan and discusses the concepts and measures of child poverty from a comparative perspective.
Dorling, D. (2011) Injustice: Why Inequality Persists, Bristol: The Policy Press.
Examines the causes of persistent inequality using empirical evidence across a wide range of disciplines.
Abe, A. (2011) Jakusha no ibasho ga nai shakai: Hinkon, kakusa to shakaiteki hosetsu [Society, There Is No Place for the Weak: Poverty, Inequality and Social Inclusion], Tokyo: Kodansha Gendai Shinsho.
[阿部 彩 (2011)「弱者の居場所がない社会――貧困・格差と社会的包摂」講談社現代新書.]
Addresses the problems of poverty and inequality in contemporary Japan and seeks social inclusion strategies to tackle them.
Dorling, D., Rigby, J., Wheeler, B., Ballas, D., Thomas, B., Fahmy, E., Gordon, D. and Lupton, R. (2007) Poverty, Wealth and Place in Britain, 1968 to 2005, Bristol: The Policy Press.
The first explorative study of the geographical distribution of poverty and wealth in the UK since the 1960s.
Hirayama, Y. (2003) ‘Housing policy and inequality in Japan’, in Izuhara, M. (ed.), Comparing Social Policies: Exploring New Perspectives in Britain and Japan, Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 151–72.
Kleinman, M. (2003) ‘Housing and inequality in Britain’, in Izuhara, M. (ed.), Comparing Social Policies: Exploring New Perspectives in Britain and Japan, Bristol: The Policy Press, pp. 135–50.
Two chapters from a book on comparative analysis of social welfare in Britain and Japan. Social inequalities are probed by comparing the differences in housing policies between two countries.
Iwashige, Y., Bennett, F., Nakajima, T. and Uzuhashi, R. (2011) Igirisu ni manabu kodomo no hinkon kaiketsu [To Learn the Resolution of Child Poverty from the UK: Towards the Act of Child Poverty Strategy in Japan], Kamogawa Shuppan.
[岩重 佳治・フラン・ベネット・中嶋 哲彦・埋橋 玲子 (2011) 「イギリスに学ぶ子どもの貧困解決―日本の「子どもの貧困対策法」にむけて」かもがわ出版.]
Draws lessons for Japan from policies and approaches to tackling child poverty (for example, Sure Start) developed in the UK.
Iwata, M. and Nishizawa, A. (eds.) (2008) Poverty and Social Welfare in Japan, Melbourne: Trans Pacific Press.
A collection of empirical studies on poverty which reveal the reality of vulnerable groups in Japan and their association with structural inequality.
Komine, A. (ed.) (2011) Keizai shiso no naka no hinkon fukushi: Kingendai no nichiei ni okeru keisei saiminron [Poverty and Welfare in the History of Economic Thoughts: ‘Theory Keiseisaimin’ in Modern Japan and UK], Minerva Shobo.
[小峯 敦編 (2011)「経済思想のなかの貧困・福祉―近現代の日英における「経世済民」論」ミネルヴァ書房.]
Examines ideas about poverty and welfare through the eyes of major economic theorists in Japan and the UK. Contemporary perspectives are explored from the views of Adam Smith, Thomas Malthus, Karl Marx, Friedrich Hayek, Dazai Shundai, Nakai Chikuzan and Takada Yasuma on the relationship of ideal state and economic system.
Mack, J. and Lansley, S. (1985) Poor Britain, London: George Allen & Unwin.
Pantazis, C., Gordon, D. and Levitas, R. (eds.) (2006) Poverty and Social Exclusion in Britain: The Millennium Survey, Bristol: The Policy Press.
Townsend, P. (1979) Poverty in the United Kingdom, Harmondsworth: Penguin.
Collectively these three books provide empirical evidence about the extent and nature of poverty and social exclusion over four decades.
Shirahase, S. (2009) Nihon no fubyodo o kangaeru [Thinking about Inequality in Japan: A Comparative Study of Ageing Societies], Tokyo: University of Tokyo Press.
[白波瀬佐和子 (2009)「日本の不平等を考える：少子高齢社会の国際比較」東京大学出版会.]
Covers a wide range of topics relating to inequality in Japan. The inequality and disparity in gender, family life, early years and later life in Japan are explored in an international context.
Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2009) The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Always Do Better, London: Allen Lane.
An influential book providing evidence linking a variety of health and social problems to the effects of inequality.
Reports
Cribb, J., Joyce, R. and Phillip, D. (2012) Living Standards, Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2009, London: Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Jin, W., Joyce, R., Phillips, D. and Sibieta, L. (2011) Poverty and Inequality in the UK: 2011, London: Institute for Fiscal Studies.
Provides an assessment of changes in average incomes, inequality and poverty in the UK by analysing the latest data from HBAI series.
OECD (2008) Growing Unequal: Income Distribution and Poverty in OECD Countries, Paris: OECD.
OECD (2011) Divided We Stand: Why Inequality Keeps Rising, Paris: OCED.
OECD (2011) An Overview of Growing Income Inequalities in OECD Countries: Main Findings, Paris: OCED.
A series of reports from the OECD examining the distribution of income in OECD countries, including Japan and the UK.
Web resources
Comparative Research Programme on Poverty (CROP)
http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications/browse/subject/
Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS): Inequality, Poverty and Well-being
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/poverty/ESRCJSPS/uk/index.html
Japanese/UK Comparative Research on Poverty, Inequality and Social Exclusion
http://www.ipss.go.jp/index-e.asp
National Institute of Population and Social Security Research
国立社会保障・人口問題研究所
Poverty and Social Exclusion in the United Kingdom
Society for the Study of Poverty
貧困研究会
http://www.bristol.ac.uk/poverty/
The Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research
