Research Forum: Why are people poor? Exploring poverty Dynamics in Spain
The next Research Forum session of the academic year 2023-2024
The Department of Political and Social Sciences invites DCPIS members, PhD, and Master students.
Join us!
Presentation: Why are people poor? Exploring poverty Dynamics in Spain
Speaker: Alba Lanau (Universitat Pompeu Fabra)
Chair: Clara Cortina (UPF)
Date: Thursday, May 9th, 2024
Time: 12pm - 1:30pm CEST
Room: 40.035 Sala de Graus Calsamiglia
Building: Roger de Llúria
This will be a hybrid event that you can attend in person or online.
Zoom Link: https://upf-edu.zoom.
Registration link: https://forms.gle/
Abstract
High poverty rates in Spain have been associated with a weak labor market and a welfare system with limited capacity to sustain households out of poverty, particularly those with children. While both risk factors and limitations in welfare protection are well identified, a puzzle remains, namely: why is poverty in Spain impervious to both the economic cycle and welfare provision? To address this puzzle this talk explores first the events associated with poverty entries and exits in Spain with a particular focus on working households and households with children. Then qualitative evidence is used to explore how poverty is managed by families. Families actively respond to increased vulnerability by combining strategies and resources available to them. However these are often not enough to avoid poverty.
About the speaker
Alba Lanau is a tenure track professor and Ramon y Cajal fellow at UPF. Her main areas of research are poverty and social policy. She has authored over 30 publications on child poverty, child well-being, poverty dynamics and the welfare state using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Currently she is PI for the project ‘Child poverty and neighbourhood opportunity structures’ funded by Ajuntament de Barcelona, that studies how existing networks and services shape households everyday experiences and their ability to respond to unexpected difficulties. Dr Lanau is also associate editor of the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice.