Poverty, and calls to end it, date back centuries. Even in prosperous modern times, despite the huge transformation of society, poverty has persisted. The challenge is getting harder, not easier, because of more recent changes in society such as the social distance between people in poverty and others, changing family structures (and our mixed views about them) and changing community patterns. The recent economic crisis seems set to leave us with a very different economy in which some may never work. This book looks back at the struggle to rid the country of poverty and asks if the struggle is worth it. What would a poverty free country be like if we could overcome the obstacles which impede progress?

JULIA UNWIN is Chief Executive of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust. She is an influential author and commentator on public policy, whose 35 year career has been driven by a passion to drive social change. Working across a broad range of sectors and in diverse roles, Julia's roles have included service on homelessness, refugee rights, community development, as well as policy and regulation.