Peter Townsend (sociologist)

Peter Townsend, professor of international social policy at the London school of economics.
Peter Townsend

Peter Brereton Townsend (6 April 1928, Middlesbrough – 8 June 2009, Dursley) was a British sociologist. The last position he held was Professor of International Social Policy at the London School of Economics. He was also Emeritus Professor of Social Policy in the University of Bristol, and was one of the co-founders of the University of Essex. He wrote widely on the economics of poverty and was co-founder of the Child Poverty Action Group.[1] The Peter Townsend Policy Press Prize was established by the British Academy in his memory.

Career

Townsend was dedicated to studying "very carefully the life of the poorest and most handicapped members of society".[1] He applied this consistently outside academia as well as within it.

During the 1960s, Townsend served as a member on the Council for Training in Social Work's Research Committee. The committee was chaired by Sir Charles Morris.[2]

Townsend was co-founder of the Child Poverty Action Group in 1965, was its chair for 20 years and Life President from 1989. He also co-founded the Disability Alliance in response to the Thalidomide scandal, and chaired it for 25 years.[1]

Work

Definition of relative poverty

  • "Individuals, families and groups in the population can be said to be in poverty when they lack the resources to obtain the type of diet, participate in the activities and have the living conditions and the amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged or approved in the societies to which they belong. Their resources are so seriously below those commanded by the average family that they are in effect excluded from the ordinary living patterns, customs, and activities (page 31)."[3]

Townsend inefficiency

Townsend inefficiency is a possible property of monetary exchange. Rather than evaluating the utility he generated in production, one of the parties is evaluating the value of the money he gets in the transaction.[4] In other words, a worker may only be looking at his paycheck instead of the amount of labour he promises to perform to get that paycheck. This sets up an inefficiency in the monetary exchange.

Personal life

Peter Townsend was educated at Fleet Road Elementary School, Gospel Oak, University College School, St John's College, Cambridge (MA) and the Free University, Berlin. He was married three times: Ruth Pearce (1949) with whom he had four sons; Joy Skegg (1977) with whom he had one daughter; Jean Ann Corston, a Labour peer and former MP (1985) (one stepson, one stepdaughter) who was his partner from 1980.[5]

Townsend died of heart failure on 8 June 2009. He was survived by Corston and his five children.[6]

Selected publications

  • Child poverty in the developing world, Bristol: Policy Press 2003
  • Better pensions: the state's responsibility, London: Catalyst Forum, 2003
  • With Gordon, D. (eds.) World poverty: new policies to defeat an old enemy, Bristol: The Policy Press, 2002
  • With Gordon, D. and Pantazis, C.The changing necessities of life, Working Paper 2 of the Poverty and Social Exclusion Survey, Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research, University of Bristol, Bristol, 2001
  • With Gordon, D. (eds.) Breadline Europe: the measurement of poverty, Bristol: The Policy Press, 2000
  • With et al. Poverty and social exclusion in Britain, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2000
  • With et al. Absolute and overall poverty in Britain in 1997: what the population themselves say, Bristol: Bristol Statistical Monitoring Unit, University of Bristol, 1997
  • The international analysis of poverty, London and New York, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993
  • Hard times: what prospects for European social policy?, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1992
  • With Black, D. Inequalities in health: the Black Report and the health divide, 3rd ed. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1992
  • 미완성 통계 사업? 1992년 브리스톨 대학교 사회정책과 사회계획학부
  • 고든과 함께, D. 저소득층의 미완성 통계업무?: 빈곤에 관한 공공 정보 생산을 위한 사회보장국의 새로운 제안 검토, Bristol: 통계 모니터링 유닛, 부서. 1992년 브리스톨 대학교 사회정책과 사회계획
  • 1991년 빈곤에 대한 의미 있는 통계, Bristol: 브리스톨 대학교 사회정책과 사회계획학부, 1991
  • 영국 브리스톨: SMU, 뎁트, 1979-1989년 빈부의 생활수준 변화에 대한 통계 보고서인 빈민층은 더 가난하다. 사회정책과 사회. 1991년 브리스톨 대학교 계획
  • 필리모어, P., 비티와 함께…. 건강과 박탈감: 불평등과 북, 런던, 뉴욕: Croom Helm, 1988
  • Walker, R. 및 Lawson과 함께 빈곤에 대한 R. 응답: 유럽, 런던으로부터의 교훈: 하인만 교육서적, 1984
  • 왜 많은 사람들이 가난한가? 런던: 파비안 소사이어티, 1984년
  • 워커와 함께…. 영국의 장애: 권리 선언, 옥스퍼드: 마틴 로버트슨, 1981년
  • 보산케트, N. Labour and equality: 1974-79년 파비아의 집권 노동 연구, 런던: 하인만, 1980년
  • 영국의 빈곤: 가정 자원과 생활 수준에 대한 조사, 하몬즈워스: 펭귄 북스, 1979년
  • 루이스와 함께, P. 인플레이션과 저소득, 런던: 파비앙 소사이어티, 1975년
  • 보산켓과 함께 N(에드) 노동과 불평등: 16개의 파비안 에세이, 런던: 파비앙 소사이어티, 1972
  • 가난의 개념: 다른 나라의 가난한 사람들의 조사 방법과 생활 스타일에 관한 연구 논문, 런던: 하인만 교육, 1971년
  • 다섯 번째 사회 봉사: 런던 시봄 제안서의 비판적 분석: 파비앙 소사이어티, 1970년
  • Reddin, M., Kaim-Caudle P와 함께. 모두를 위한 사회 복지 사업? 파비안 소사이어티, 1968년
  • 빈곤, 사회주의, 그리고 노동당이 권력을 쥐고 있다. 런던: 파비앙 소사이어티, 1967년
  • 노인들의 가정생활: 이스트런던의 조사, 하몬즈워스: 펭귄, 1963
  • 마지막 피난처: 영국, 웨일스, 런던에 있는 노인들을 위한 주거 기관과 주택에 대한 조사: Routrege와 K. 1962년 폴

참조

  1. ^ a b c The Independent, 2009년 6월 13일, Peter Townsend 교수: 아동 빈곤 행동 그룹을 공동 설립한 사회 정의를 위한 운동가
  2. ^ "사회사업 교육위원회, 1962-1964"; 켄달 아카이브, WC/W/A1568/Box 19/W/6/4
  3. ^ Townsend, P. (1979). Poverty in the United Kingdom. London: Penguin.
  4. ^ economics.about.com 2008년 6월 18일에 접속.
  5. ^ 영국 웨일즈 1984-2005년 결혼
  6. ^ The Guardian, 2009년 6월 9일, Peter Townsend – LSE의 사회 정책 교수 및 아동 빈곤 대책 그룹의 공동 설립자

외부 링크

정당정치국
선행자 파비앙 소사이어티 회장
1965–1966 		성공자