The UK income distribution changed its shape dramatically during the 1980s. This paper documents the trends and summarises research about their causes. It also comments on research methodologies and data sets and points to future research directions. The paper concludes by considering what...

This paper uses the first four waves (1991-4) of the British Household Panel Survey to chart patterns of labour market transition for men and women. We examine movements into and out of part-time employment, full-time employment, unemployment and out of the labour force. In particular, we...

This paper proposes, using kernal density estimation methods, to investigate the shrinking middle class hypothesis. The approach reveals striking new evidence of changes in the concentration of middle incomes in the U.K. during the 1980's. Breakdowns by family economic status demonstrate that a...

We investigate the nature of child poverty in Britain, adding a longitudinal perspective to cross-sectional pictures such as provided by previous research. Using panel data from the British Household Panel Survey, we analyse poverty over a six year interval (1991-6). We provide information about...

This paper is about income and poverty dynamics and their socioeconomic correlates. The first half of the paper aims to establish some of the salient facts for Britain, applying the pioneering methods of Bane and Ellwood (1986). Important for poverty dynamics are changes in labour earnings from...

This document provides information about a set of derived variables to accompany BHPS waves 1-7. The variables, available for each wave, are estimates of current household net income and annual household net income and some of their components, together with variables which classify persons...

The report examines the dynamics of lone mothers' income packages. It complements analysis of the dynamics of private income sources, namely maintenance income (child support from the non-resident father) and labour earnings, with analysis of the receipt of cash social security benefits, namely...

The European Community Household Panel survey (ECHP) is an important new innovation in the European statistical system. The paper argues that, in order to best realise the ECHP's potential, its unit record ('micro') data should be made freely available to suitably registered non-commercial...

Fewer than one half of Britain's lone mothers are in paid employment. Their employment rates are low relative to those of other mothers and fell during the 1980's. The most commonly-cited explanations for the low employment rates are disincentives provided by the benefit system, and a lack of...