The dynamics of low income in rural areas

This paper provides a picture of the dynamics of]ow income in rural areas by comparing a rural sample with a non-rural sample using the British Household Panel Survey. The paper considers income distributions and inequality, low income mobility, the distribution of low income spells, the characteristics of those on low incomes and possible trigger events associated with low income entry and exit across the two samples. Although in absolute terms somewhat less important than in non-rural areas, the results confirm that low income in rural areas is significant and emphasize a number of important dynamic aspects of the problem, such as the extent of persistent low income among the rural poor.