More similarities than differences: poverty and social exclusion in rural and urban locations

Urban and rural locations may have different levels of poverty or social exclusion but also different combinations of problems or forms of exclusion. Understanding these differences is important both for the allocation of resources but also for the development of appropriate policies or interventions. Overall, this chapter argues that the similarities between urban and rural areas are greater than the differences. There are substantial levels of poverty in urban and rural locations although most measures show higher levels in more urban locations. There are notable differences between measures, however, with low income measures inflating estimates of poverty in more rural locations compared with other measures, notably those based on deprivation. Contrary to expectations in much of the literature, we do not find strong differences in the forms of exclusion in different areas: some aspects are worse in urban locations (notably neighbourhood problems and subjective well-being), while others are worse in rural places (notably transport and access to services). The experience of poverty is equally shaming in urban and rural locations. The main message for policy is the need to focus on core national policies to tackle poverty and exclusion in rural and urban locations alike.