Regional disparities in poverty: Scope and limitations of government reports in Germany and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Governments need in-depth knowledge of poverty levels and how they vary by region because place and context matter for determining the shape and impact of poverty and adjusting regional policies to effectively combat it. However, there is no standard approach for reporting poverty levels or regional differences in poverty in the existing reports. To better understand the differences in reporting regional disparities in poverty, our study aims to collect and systematize concepts related to the regional differentiation of poverty in Germany and the United Kingdom (UK). In a systematic review, we collected official government reports on poverty in Germany and the UK published until 2022 and investigated (1) which indicators are used to measure poverty in official social reporting, and (2) to what extent are identified indicators presented in a spatially differentiated manner. Based on our findings, we reflected on the comparability and appropriateness of the identified concepts with respect to the description of regional disparities in poverty levels. Our aim is to provide an overview of approaches to poverty measurement at the regional and sub-regional levels and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches.