Since 2017, Scotland has been the only nation in the UK with statutory targets for reducing child poverty, placing the issue firmly at the centre of policymaking. The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI) has played a key role in supporting this agenda through robust, impartial analysis, with our work helping to improve the evidence base, inform policy development, and strengthen accountability. This has involved partnering with a number of different funders and collaborators.
As the targets approach in 2030 – and as we move beyond them – there is a need for new analytical insights that recognise both the urgency of reducing child poverty and the necessity of addressing its root causes over the long run. To this end, we have developed a prospectus setting out our priorities for research over the next few years.
Our approach
We are committed to producing research that is both analytically rigorous and policy-relevant. While much of our work is UK-wide, we bring deep familiarity with the Scottish economy and policy landscape, grounded in experience within Scottish Government and wider policy networks.
We are particularly interested in the intersection between economic and social policy, which we believe is crucial to tackling child poverty but often falls between professional boundaries. Much of our work is collaborative, and we place a strong emphasis on combining quantitative and qualitative research methods.
Some of our recent work on poverty includes:
- Economic modelling of child poverty. Specific projects have modelled policies to reach the interim and final child poverty targets, as well as the costs and impacts of a Minimum Income Guarantee, a Universal Basic Income and a Guaranteed Decent Income.
- Empirical research and analysis. Examples include an evaluation of the impact of the Scottish Child Payment on food bank usage, qualitative and quantitative research on the financial security of people with learning disabilities, and a programme of work on low-paid jobs in the hospitality sector.
- Scrutiny of fiscal policy. Building on the FAI’s long-running expertise in this area, we have estimated how much the Scottish Government spends on child poverty measures and made this information accessible in a public spending dashboard.
- A focus on poverty and health. FAI established the Scottish Health Equity Research Unit (SHERU) in collaboration with the Centre for Health Policy, building on previous FAI analysis into the relationship between drug deaths and household income and the socio-economic drivers of health inequalities.
This is in addition to our core work, which involves regular commentary on new policy announcements, strategies, and data; advisory work for government; and engagement with the media.
Our prospectus
Looking ahead, we will be focusing on four strategic themes, corresponding to ways that we believe FAI can best support the tackling child poverty agenda.
- Understanding poverty: Building the evidence base on poverty in Scotland to both demand and inform the design of effective solutions to child poverty.
- Scrutinising policy: Analysing systems, evaluating impacts, and holding government to account on child poverty policy.
- New tools and data: Bringing cutting-edge methods and new data sources to bear on key questions around child poverty, including building new tools for use by campaigners and other researchers.
- Asking the big questions: Considering the strategic and structural changes needed to tackle poverty in Scotland in the long term, informing the overall direction of the policy agenda.
Cutting across these themes, we are focused on several key topic areas in which we have an established track record of research. These include social security, taxes and spending, the labour market, and the cost of living. Alongside these themes, we will continue our public-facing activities to maximise the impact of our work.
A small selection from the prospectus is shown in the chart below, highlighting some of the key research questions that we are interested in pursuing.
We expect that the prospectus will continue to adapt as we enter a crucial period for the tackling child poverty agenda.
Our people
Our work on child poverty was initiated by Emma Congreve, Deputy Director of the FAI and co-lead of SHERU. Emma is an experienced economist who previously held roles as a senior economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and as an economic adviser within the Scottish Government.
As our work in this area has continued to grow, so too has the team of researchers who are involved in it.
Dr. Spencer Thompson joined the FAI in 2025 as a Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow. Spencer spent nearly ten years working in the Scottish Government, where he led analytical teams responsible for supporting the tackling child poverty agenda, producing the official poverty statistics, and advising policymakers on reserved and local authority benefits. He also spent time as a lead analyst at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Dr. Hannah Randolph joined the FAI in 2022 and is currently a Knowledge Exchange Fellow. Her work uses quantitative modelling and evaluation with survey or administrative data to understand how social security and other policy affects low-income households’ financial outcomes.
Chirsty McFadyen joined the FAI in 2021 and is currently a Knowledge Exchange Associate. Her primary focus is on employment and inequalities. She uses mixed methods and often collaborates with third-sector organisations to undertake projects focused on lived experience.
Other FAI researchers working in the area of poverty include Ben Cooper, Brodie Gillan, David Jack, Allison Catalano, and Josh Hampson, along with other colleagues in SHERU. They bring a diverse range of expertise, including in the areas of social care, disability, housing, transport, and the labour market.
Get in touch
If you are interested in collaborating with or supporting us in any of this work, or if you would like to see our full prospectus of child poverty research, please get in touch at spencer.thompson@strath.ac.uk.
Authors
Spencer is a Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute.
Hannah is a Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute. She specialises in applied social policy analysis with a focus on social security, poverty and inequality, labour supply, and immigration.