Poverty and Welfare

Two external blogs today. I will post short excerpts and a link to full articles.

Article One, concerning 'Poverty Porn', something I've noticed but never consciously thought about:

"Over the past few months in our perspectives on poverty column we have taken you inside the world of communicating the fight against poverty. Throughout this series we’ve looked at poverty pornography and how damaging this can be."

~The Global Poverty Project, [http://globalpovertyproject.com/blog/view/257]

Article Two, concerning welfare reform a little closer to home:

"When I was a child I regularly used to holler, “It’s not fair, it’s not fair”. My Mum would reply in an instant “life’s not fair”. The reformed welfare system must keep people in touch with reality, no more no less. If it doesn’t do this – whether by not giving people the tools to rebound or by removing incentives to work – it fails to achieve its purpose. I am hopeful that the Coalition’s proposed legislation will strike the right balance."

~Nick Denys, platform10.org, via ResPublica [http://www.respublica.org.uk/blog/2010/11/fairness-reform-and-what-welfare]

~J.R.