Poverty, social policy and the welfare state: A research agenda

While relative income poverty among the elderly has declined quite substantially in many countries over the past decades, poverty among the working age population has started to grow. This raises three sets of fundamental questions addressed in this chapter. First, why have welfare states not been successful in reducing poverty? Second, why are some policies, countries and welfare regimes more successful in combatting poverty than others? Third, which policies are needed in order to be more successful in a future characterised by major transformations such as climate transition, ageing and digitalisation? Suggestions for further research are also presented. Particularly the need for multidimensional perspectives in analyzes of social policy and poverty is highlighted, as well as whether disappointing poverty trends are systemic or due to failures in specific parts of social policy. Research should also devote more attention to alternative policy orientations beyond the strategies deployed today.