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Share on LinkedInWPI Economics was commissioned by the Scottish Government to explore the choices and routes to tackling child poverty in Croatia, Denmark, Finland and Slovenia, and to draw out what can be learnt from these different approaches. Our review found that:
- At-risk groups, such as single parents and large families (three or more children), have higher poverty rates than other household types across Scotland and the case study countries.
- Income inequality is higher in Scotland than the comparator countries.
- Scotland has high employment rates (especially amongst parents) comparable to the case study countries and lower unemployment than the case study countries. However, parents in the case study countries are more likely than Scottish parents to work full-time, longer hours and at higher work intensities.
- In-work poverty is higher in Scotland than the case study countries, and has been trending upwards. Croatia has also seen an increase in in-work poverty over recent years.
- Overall, child poverty rates before housing costs (BHC) are higher in Scotland than the case study countries. These rates have either fallen (Croatia and Slovenia) or remained low and stable (Denmark and Finland) in the case study countries over the same period.
Notably, none of the countries studied had specific child poverty strategies; rather, they have instead focused on joined-up approaches that combine policies targeted at labour market participation, economic growth, gender equality and child wellbeing with poverty reduction. At the heart of this is social security – including family and child benefits – working alongside policies to support parents to enter and remain in the workplace, such as childcare and tailored support through active labour market policies. Being more generous in the support offered – particularly to families at risk of poverty – is likely to be key in Scotland but is constrained by the extent of devolved powers and funding challenges. The learning from this research will help inform the Scottish Government’s next Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan, covering the period 2026-31.