Discovering child poverty - the creation of a policy agenda from 1800 to the present
Lucinda Platt
The Policy Press
ISBN 1-86134-583-6
Price £13.99
Star Rating 2/5
The child poverty lobby is awash with similar reports and publications that have been born out of the government's commitment to ending child poverty that was announced over five years ago. It's for this reason that Lucinda Platt's new book on the history of this policy agenda seemed one that was refreshing and welcome.
Indeed, Lucinda sets out in the introduction the child poverty agenda and its history. But after that you find Discovering child poverty often has too much detail and it's difficult to build up any passion for its content.
Discovering child poverty is of course meticulously researched but it does seem more slanted to academics than to a wider audience, which you would hope, a book of its title would do so. Even such things as Philippe Aries definition of a child are interesting but it does feel out of place here.
Discovering child poverty would be very useful to those studying social policy that want a reference. It does repeat much of what the child poverty lobby already knows but it is welcome.
Ashley Riley is parliamentary officer of the Child
Poverty Action Group.
