No Poverty

Manchester Met is partnering on a new project (2023) aimed at providing low-income families with freezers, recipes, support and tips to explore the impact of access to frozen food on their finances and eating habits. Nutritionists from the University, which is the academic partner, will evaluate the findings of the pilot project run with Iceland Foods, Birds Eye, Curry’s and Clarion Housing Group which will be published in a White Paper. If successful, it is hoped the scheme could be replicated in communities across the UK.

The Policy Evaluation Research Unit’s (PERU) work within incomes, work and poverty is concentrated on policy simulation modelling and quantitative data analysis on incomes, poverty and the labour market. PERU maintains and develops the Institute of Public Policy Research Tax-Benefit Model, which is used to analyse the effects of government policy on poverty and the income distribution.  The users of the model include five major national think-tanks, including the Resolution Foundation, the New Economics Foundation, and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF).  The mission of the JRF is to solve poverty and the model forms an important part of its analytical work. 

PERU has used the model on projects including:

- an economic evaluation of a Citizens Basic Income for Scotland. Findings were featured on Basic Income Scotland, Scottish Housing News and The Courier News. In addition, JRF reference this work in their report that considers whether a UBI approach is feasible. 

- alleviating child poverty referenced by the Scottish Government in their evidence review for their plan for tackling child poverty (2022-2026).