Series: CASE Studies on Poverty, Place and Policy
Poverty is still a real issue within Britain today and this essential series provides evidence-based insights into how communities and families are dealing with it.
Published in conjunction with the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics, this series draws together fresh research and sheds important light on the impact of anti-poverty policy, focusing on the individual and social factors that promote regeneration, recovery and renewal.
CASE Studies on Poverty, Place and Policy
This chapter aims to show how much the families care about their community, and how much they are linked to doing things in their neighbourhood. It illustrates how the families felt their neighbourhoods were changing, the key improvements that were identified by families in West-City and the East-Docks, and how the physical and emotional conditions were improved along with the worsening social problems.
What impact do poor neighbourhood conditions have on family life? Why does ‘neighbourhood’ matter to low-income families? How important is community spirit to people living in deprived areas? Does major regeneration funding improve social conditions? Using an up-to-date account of life in East London, this book illustrates how cities faced with neighbourhoods in decline are changing. It gives a bird's-eye view of neighbourhood problems and assets; provides policy recommendations based on real life experiences; and tackles topical issues such as race relations, mothers and work, urban revival, and social disorder through the eyes of families.
This chapter looks at the community spirit of these two neighbourhoods. It identifies why the people living in these areas think community spirit matters, what signs they see of it, and whether they feel a part of it. It shows that more than half of the families saw themselves as a part of their community, and 62 of them saw signs of it existing even if they were not directly involved. This suggests that local community organisations contribute to local well-being and to local attempts at improving conditions in ways that are not normally acknowledged from outside.
This concluding chapter looks at the findings of the study. It presents a detailed summary of the key points presented, including families, the community, and neighbourhoods. Social conditions, housing, social breakdown, and change are also covered.
This chapter looks at disorder in the neighbourhoods, which include the experiences of the families with crime, gangs, and other forms of neighbourhood problems. Some of these experiences were extremely violent, while others were more trivial. The anxieties and fears of the parents are shown, and the ‘broken windows theory’ is also introduced.
This moving book about the lives of families in London’s East End gives important new insights into neighbourhood relations (including race relations), through the eyes of the local community. What hope is there of change?
Using an up-to-date account of life in East London, the authors illustrate how cities faced with neighbourhoods in decline are changing.
East Enders:
· gives a bird’s eye view of neighbourhood problems and assets;
· provides policy recommendations based on real life experiences;
· tackles topical issues such as race relations, mothers and work, urban revival and social disorder through the eyes of families;
· is authored by leading experts in community studies.
Undergraduate and postgraduate students in social policy, sociology, anthropology, urban studies, child development, geography, housing and public administration should all read this book. Policy makers in national and local government, practitioners and community workers in towns and cities and general readers interested in the life and history of urban neighbourhoods will also find this book an invaluable source of information.
This chapter aims to determine if there are major differences in work experience, attitude, and opportunity between mothers who work and mothers who stay at home. It compares the experiences of lone mothers with mothers who are living as part of a couple. It then explores whether mothers wanted to be in paid work or not, and why it was important for many of the mothers to be at home full-time to take care of their children.
This chapter explores what families, particularly mothers, do if they work. The first section shows the overall employment situation of the families, and this is followed by a comparison of the employment situation of lone mothers and mothers living as part of a couple. The work trajectories of employed mothers, their work patterns, their journey to work, and how mothers combine family life and paid employment are discussed. The chapter ends with a study of their satisfaction with their current job and their thoughts for the future.
This introductory chapter discusses the two low-income areas in the East End of London that are covered by the study presented in this book. The reasons why these particular communities were chosen are revealed. It describes these communities and the people who live there, and presents a summary of the four main parts of the book. It also provides the key questions that are answered during the course of each discussion.
What impact do poor neighbourhood conditions have on family life? Why does ‘neighbourhood’ matter to low-income families? How important is community spirit to people living in deprived areas? Does major regeneration funding improve social conditions? Using an up-to-date account of life in East London, this book illustrates how cities faced with neighbourhoods in decline are changing. It gives a bird's-eye view of neighbourhood problems and assets; provides policy recommendations based on real life experiences; and tackles topical issues such as race relations, mothers and work, urban revival, and social disorder through the eyes of families.
