Poverty Monitor 1998

The Poverty Monitor 1998 (Armoedemonitor 1998) presents a complete and up-to-date picture of poverty in the Netherlands. It is intended to provide a factual basis for the current debate on poverty. The Netherlands Institute for Social Research/SCP and Statistics Netherlands (CBS) have collected and analysed a large amount of data on poverty for this purpose, and the figures are set out in this publication. The report also analyses areas of the policy on poverty. The following central questions are addressed:

• How many poor households are there in the Netherlands?
• Has the number of people in poverty grown over time?
• What is the spending pattern and asset position of poor households?
• Over time, has child benefit for poor households covered more or fewer household costs?
• Is work a remedy against poverty?
• Do poor households spend their time differently?
• Does poverty have consequences for health, housing situation, social contacts and perceived levels of crime?
• Does a specific form of poverty occur in the countryside?
• How do poverty rates in the Netherlands compare with those in other Western countries?
• What influence has recent policy on poverty had on the number of poor people?