ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the long-term changes in poverty levels and patterns, using available micro-data. It also reviews the most relevant shifts in the design of welfare policies in Spain. The chapter focuses narrowly on the results of the system in terms of poverty reduction. It evaluates the main challenges faced by welfare policies in Spain. There is more poverty in Spain than in most European countries. A global analysis of the effects of social policies on poverty requires first a comprehensive picture of long-term changes in social needs and economic insecurity. The Spanish system of social protection has drastically changed over recent decades, and a variety of forces have shaped government policy. Poverty thresholds can be estimated using the Living Conditions Survey. In large urban areas, some new forms of poverty have been observed, such as the aforementioned increase in single-parent families, and wage earners with incomes below the poverty threshold.
