Poverty is not uniformly distributed throughout Ireland. Some areas clearly experience much higher levels of poverty than others, whether urban public housing estates or peripheral rural areas. However, the spatial dimensions of poverty are, at best, only partially understood. This book brings together disparate sources of information on the geography of poverty and initiates a debate from which can emerge more effective policy responses. It should be of interest to students of geography and the social sciences, and should appeal to policy-makers and practitioners concerned with spatial responses to poverty, such as those involved in urban, rural and community interventions.

Drawing on evidence from Irish national household surveys in 1987 and 1994 and Census of Population data from 1986 and 1991, this study attempts to answer these questions. It examines the underlying assumptions regarding the way in which household and spatial factors combine to create patterns of cumulative disadvantage. It explores what types of areas have particularly high rates of poverty, the extent to which people living in poverty or who are disadvantaged are concentrated in particular areas and whether such patterns have changed over time. The study makes an important contribution to the understanding of the spatial dimensions of poverty and disadvantage. It is particularly relevant in the context of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy, the national emphasis on area-based strategies to tackle unemployment and disadvantage and the reform of local government.

This study of Ireland examines the increasing risk of poverty among female-headed households; the interaction of low pay and household poverty; and the incidence of hidden deprivation experienced by women within households. It draws extensively on the 1994 Living in Ireland survey, a national survey of over 4000 households undertaken to explore the extent of poverty in Ireland.

Child poverty is not just a transitory phase associated with childhood, but often has a legacy that persists in later life, regardless of children's talents or efforts. Published in association with the Combat Poverty Agency, this study draws on data from the 1994 and 1997 Living in Ireland Surveys, and compares this with earlier results.