Measuring Poverty .Howard Glennerster outlines proposals to reform the official poverty line in the US - unchanged for the last 25 years. Different approaches - such as a poverty line based upon a budget standard (the ability to buy a basket of goods), or one based on a proportion of average income are discussed. He proposes an annual US Poverty Report based upon a range of poverty indicators. "US Poverty Studies and Poverty Measurement: The past 25 Years" is published by the Centre for the Analysis of Social Exclusion. For an excellent attempt to draw up an authoritative annual poverty report in the UK see the "Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion" series for 1998, 1999 and 2000 from the New Policy Institute.

By New Policy Institute ,US and UK.

Welfare and Social Security Policy Resource.