Child poverty policies across Europe

Abstract

This article is in two parts. In the first part, we present the results of a comparative analysis of the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) to explore child poverty. Countries' child poverty rates are compared using the conventional income definition and deprivation and economic strain. The extent of overlap in these different measures is explored. Variations in child poverty rates by employment, child age, number of children, education level of the parents and family type are explored. Then logistic regression is used to explore how countries' child poverty varies having taken account of these characteristics. In the second part we explore how policy affects child poverty, presenting child poverty rates before and after transfers; analysis of spending and its relationship to child poverty; and the analysis of child benefit packages using model family methods. Child poverty is increasing in most EU countries. The article argues that the data available on what policies work is not really good enough. The OECD Benefits and Wages series is too limited and the EU should invest in a framework that collects data on how tax and benefit policies are working to combat child poverty across the EU.