Understanding low-income debt in a high-income country

The introductory chapter sets out general themes for the collection, exploring the social, economic, and legal implications of the explosion of low-income debt. We argue that the nature of debt for low income people has changed radically over the last decade - as structural inequality is exacerbated by changes in the redistributive state, the legal system, and the level and scope of the welfare system. These phenomena are uneven and unequal through the lens of gender, class, and place. We examine the debt environment and the ways in which the legal infrastructure, and debt advice filter the form of contemporary low-income debt. Although many of the papers are UK focused, analysis of debt in other countries is also represented in this collection. More importantly, while the explanations around the nature and structure of debt is country-specific, there are also important lessons for other places, which this chapter will highlight.