International review of effective anti-poverty policies and programmes

As part of the Wales Centre for Public Policy’s (WCPP) review of poverty and social exclusion, the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the LSE was commissioned to conduct a review of the international evidence on promising policies and programmes designed to reduce poverty and social exclusion across twelve key policy areas. The twelve areas are: take-up of cash transfers; household debt; fuel poverty; food insecurity; digital exclusion; affordable housing supply; transport disadvantage; early childhood education and care; youth services; in-work progression; further education and skills; and neighbourhood environment.

The key questions addressed in each of the twelve policy reviews are:

  • What effective international poverty alleviation policies, programmes and interventions exist?
  • What are the key or common characteristics/standards and features of these different approaches?

These two questions are addressed in each policy review by providing:

  • The Welsh context for each policy area and main initiatives being undertaken by the Welsh Government;
  • Detailed information on the relationship between the policy area and poverty and social exclusion;
  • A summary of evidence of lived experience, which could help to understand how people may experience and respond to policy interventions;
  • An overview of the international evidence of policy effectiveness (including case studies); and
  • Challenges and facilitating factors associated with policy implementation.

In addition to the twelve policy reviews, an overview report has been produced which summarises the key evidence from each of the individual reviews, highlights connections between different policy areas and reflects on all the evidence to make a number of policy recommendations, or promising actions, within each of the twelve areas.