ABSTRACT
This chapter considers a broader social review than Chapter 3, not just psychology but any social science work that engages directly with and presents the words and experiences of poor people. This review focuses on Western, liberal welfare states, particularly Australia, the United States, and the UK. First, the chapter discusses the backdrop of all this research: Neoliberalism, for how it runs through all previous chapters and all research on the ground. Then, the chapter presents the Australian context(s) of poverty as collated in a review of the available Australian data. Then, further insights from other Western nations are considered. The chapter is set out as a response to the elements raised in the psychological review of Chapter 3. The contexts summarised in this chapter are the content explored for and within the original research presented in the following chapters.
