Sign-In
Cart
Profiting from Poverty Who Gets Rich Off the Poor in Britain
Paperback
General SociologyPoverty & Social Work
Currently unavailable to order
Please enter your email and a message will be sent to you when this product becomes available on our website.
Publisher: William Parker
Published: Jan 11 2026
Pages: 180
Weight: 0.40
Height: 0.41 Width: 5.00 Depth: 8.00
Language: English
Profiting from Poverty: Who Gets Rich Off the Poor in Britain is a powerful, unflinching investigation into one of the most uncomfortable truths of modern Britain: poverty is not just a social failure-it is a business model.
In a country that ranks among the wealthiest in the world, more than 14 million people live in poverty. Food banks have become normalised, homelessness is rising, and millions of people in work are still unable to afford the basics. Yet while hardship deepens for many, a quieter story unfolds beneath the surface-one of profit, power, and exploitation. This book asks a question rarely confronted head-on: who is getting rich from poverty, and how?
profiting-from-poverty-STANDARD...
William Parker takes readers behind the familiar headlines to expose the vast and interconnected poverty economy that has emerged in Britain over the last four decades. From welfare outsourcing and Universal Credit to private landlords, debt collectors, energy companies, and corporate charities, this book reveals how economic desperation has been transformed into a predictable and profitable system. Poverty, Parker argues, is no longer merely tolerated-it is actively managed, monetised, and sustained.
Drawing on political economy, social policy, and lived experience, Profiting from Poverty dismantles the myths that dominate public debate. It challenges the idea that poverty is the result of individual failure, laziness, or poor choices, showing instead how low wages, insecure work, soaring housing costs, and a hollowed-out welfare state trap millions in cycles of deprivation. The book exposes how austerity didn't simply cut public services-it restructured them, turning public need into private opportunity.
Each section of the book examines a different pillar of the poverty industry. Readers are taken inside the bureaucracy of benefits systems run for profit, the cruelty and chaos of Universal Credit, the debt industry that thrives on desperation, and the housing market that treats homes as financial assets rather than places to live. Parker also scrutinises the role of energy companies, data surveillance, and even parts of the charity sector, asking uncomfortable questions about where compassion ends and commerce begins.
But this is not just an exposé-it is a political reckoning. Profiting from Poverty shows how policy decisions, lobbying, media narratives, and ideology have combined to normalise inequality and shift blame onto those who suffer most. It traces a clear line from the neoliberal reforms of the 1980s to today's fractured social safety net, revealing how poverty has become embedded into the structure of the economy itself.
Crucially, the book does not end in despair. Alongside its critique, it highlights resistance, alternatives, and possibilities-from grassroots mutual aid and tenant organising to cooperative housing, credit unions, and campaigns for welfare reform. It argues that poverty is not inevitable, natural, or unavoidable, but the result of choices-and that different choices can be made.
Written with clarity, urgency, and moral force, Profiting from Poverty is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand why inequality persists in Britain, why hardship continues despite economic growth, and why tackling poverty requires more than charity-it requires confronting the systems that profit from it.
This is a book for readers of politics, economics, social justice, and contemporary Britain. Above all, it is a challenge: to stop asking why so many people are poor, and start asking why so many others are getting rich off it.
Also from
Parker, William
Business After God's Heart: The Psalms of David Applied to the Heart of the Business Leader
Parker, William
Hardcover
Business After God's Heart: The Psalms of David Applied to the Heart of the Business Leader
Parker, William
Paperback
Also in
Poverty & Social Work
The Agrarian Seeds of Empire: The Political Economy of Agriculture in Us State Building
Bauerly, Brad
Paperback
The New Science of Giambattista Vico: Unabridged Translation of the Third Edition (1744) with the Addition of Practic of the New Science
Vico, Giambattista
Paperback
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Paperback
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
There Is No Place for Us: Working and Homeless in America (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Goldstone, Brian
Hardcover
The Everywhere Millionaire: Who Is Really Rich in America and How They Got There
Zidar, Owen
Zwick, Eric
Hardcover
Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth--And What to Do about It
Moyn, Samuel
Hardcover
Miracle Children: Race, Education, and a True Story of False Promises
Benner, Katie
Green, Erica L.
Hardcover
City on the Edge: Technology, Politics, and the Fight for the Soul of San Francisco
Weber, Jonathan
Hardcover
The Middle-Class New Deal: Restoring Upward Mobility and the American Dream
Dickerson, A. Mechele
Paperback
Are White Men Smarter Than Everybody Else?: Playing Offense in the Fight for Racial Justice in America
Phillips, Steve
Hardcover
Getting to Reparations: How Building a Different America Requires a Reckoning with Our Past
Brown, Dorothy A.
Hardcover
Anti-Fascist Economics: In Defense of Affordability, Dignity, and Democracy
Weber, Isabella
Hardcover
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America (20th Anniversary Edition)
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Aristocracy, American Style: Class Privilege and the Persistence of Elite Power
Isenberg, Nancy
Hardcover
Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O'Connell's Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People
Kidder, Tracy
Paperback
Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty
Banerjee, Abhijit V.
Duflo, Esther
Paperback
Marked by Time: How Social Change Has Transformed Crime and the Life Trajectories of Young Americans
Sampson, Robert J.
Hardcover
Overcoming Binge Eating: The Proven Program to Learn Why You Binge and How You Can Stop
Fairburn, Christopher G.
Paperback
Sensory Pathways to Healing from Trauma: Harnessing the Brain's Capacity for Change
Kearney, Breanne E.
Lanius, Ruth A.
Harricharan, Sherain
Paperback
Reclaiming Your Community: You Don't Have to Move Out of Your Neighborhood to Live in a Better One
Carter, Majora
Paperback
Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process
McWilliams, Nancy
Paperback
The Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide: What You and Your Family Need to Know
Miklowitz, David J.
Paperback
Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child's Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore
Powell, Bert
Hoffman, Kent
Cooper, Glen
Paperback
Charlie Kirk Quotes: The Courageous Life and Legacy of Charlie Kirk Founder, Turning Point USA the Unauthorized Version
Butler, Michael D.
Cohen, Felicity Graham
Paperback
Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet
Collins, Chuck
Hardcover
Smart But Scattered Teens: The Executive Skills Program for Helping Teens Reach Their Potential
Guare, Colin
Guare, Richard
Dawson, Peg
Paperback
Under the Perfect Sun: The San Diego Tourists Never See
Davis, Mike
Mayhew, Kelly
Miller, Jim
Paperback
DBT Skills in Elementary Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving in Grades K-5 (DBT STEPS-E)
Rathus, Jill H.
Mazza, James J.
Dexter-Mazza, Elizabeth T.
Paperback
Talking to My Daughter about the Economy: Or, How Capitalism Works--And How It Fails
Varoufakis, Yanis
Paperback
Motivational Interviewing: Helping People Change and Grow
Rollnick, Stephen
Miller, William R.
Hardcover
Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City (Pulitzer Prize Winner)
Elliott, Andrea
Paperback
Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes the Underclass 25th Anniversary Edition
Dalrymple, Theodore
Paperback
The Socialist Manifesto: The Case for Radical Politics in an Era of Extreme Inequality
Sunkara, Bhaskar
Paperback
Billionaire Wilderness: The Ultra-Wealthy and the Remaking of the American West
Farrell, Justin
Paperback
The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math
Dick, Alix
Garcia, Antero
Hardcover
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (Emdr) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures
Shapiro, Francine
Hardcover
The Death and Life of Gentrification: A New Map of a Persistent Idea
Brown-Saracino, Japonica
Hardcover
The Financial Diaries: How American Families Cope in a World of Uncertainty
Schneider, Rachel
Morduch, Jonathan
Paperback
Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World
Powell, John A.
Menendian, Stephen
Hardcover
Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets Through Capital, Power, and Labor
Sparkly Kat, Alice
Paperback
The Mismeasurement of America: How Outdated Government Statistics Mask the Economic Struggle of Everyday Americans
Ludwig, Gene
Hardcover
Work Won't Love You Back: How Devotion to Our Jobs Keeps Us Exploited, Exhausted, and Alone
Jaffe, Sarah
Paperback
Anti-Oppressive Social Work Practice: Putting Theory into Action
Capous-Desyllas, Moshoula
Morgaine, Karen
Paperback
10th Anniversary Edition The Life You Can Save: How To Do Your Part To End World Poverty
Singer, Peter
Paperback
The Viral Underclass: The Human Toll When Inequality and Disease Collide
Thrasher, Steven W.
Paperback
Program Evaluation: A Practical Guide for Social Work and the Helping Professions
Royse, David
Paperback
Introduction to Social Work: Social Workers Effecting Change in Our World
Ritter, Jessica A.
Paperback
The Cost of Being Undocumented: One Woman's Reckoning with America's Inhumane Math
Dick, Alix
Garcia, Antero
Paperback
Decolonizing Wealth, Second Edition: Indigenous Wisdom to Heal Divides and Restore Balance
Villanueva, Edgar
Paperback
Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns
Colburn, Gregg
Aldern, Clayton Page
Paperback
What We Inherit: How New Technologies and Old Myths Are Shaping Our Genomic Future
Martschenko, Daphne O.
Trejo, Sam
Hardcover
Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD: A Comprehensive Therapist Manual
Resick, Patricia A.
Monson, Candice M.
Chard, Kathleen M.
Paperback
The Lost and the Found: A True Story of Homelessness, Found Family, and Second Chances
Fagan, Kevin
Paperback
When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor... and Yourself
Fikkert, Brian
Corbett, Steve
Paperback
The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World
Burgis, Ben
Beggs, Mike
Sunkara, Bhaskar
Paperback
The Containment: Detroit, the Supreme Court, and the Battle for Racial Justice in the North
Adams, Michelle
Hardcover
The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal about Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power
Mask, Deirdre
Paperback
The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid
Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, Anna
Clinton, Chelsea
Hardcover
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor
Eubanks, Virginia
Paperback
Plundered: How Racist Policies Undermine Black Homeownership in America
Atuahene, Bernadette
Hardcover
Your Defiant Teen: 10 Steps to Resolve Conflict and Rebuild Your Relationship
Robin, Arthur L.
Barkley, Russell A.
Paperback
Dbt Skills in Schools: Skills Training for Emotional Problem Solving for Adolescents (Dbt Steps-A)
Miller, Alec L.
Mazza, James J.
Dexter-Mazza, Elizabeth T.
Paperback
Treating Trauma and Traumatic Grief in Children and Adolescents
Cohen, Judith A.
Mannarino, Anthony P.
Deblinger, Esther
Paperback
You Are Not Your Trauma: An ACT Guide for Healing from Within
Walser, Robyn D.
Westrup, Darrah
Paperback
Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity
Appelbaum, Yoni
Hardcover
We Shall Not Bow Down: Children of Color Under Siege: An Invocation to Resistance
Kozol, Jonathan
Paperback
Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity
Appelbaum, Yoni
Paperback
Unhumans: The Secret History of Communist Revolutions (and How to Crush Them)
Lisec, Joshua
Posobiec, Jack
Hardcover
Systemic Racism in the United States: Scaffolding as Social Construction
Wewiorski, Nancy J.
Tourse, Robbie W. C.
Hamilton-Mason, Johnnie
Paperback
The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
Wilkinson, Richard
Pickett, Kate
Paperback
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth
Smarsh, Sarah
Paperback
Trauma Stewardship, Revised and Updated: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
Burk, Connie
Van Dernoot Lipsky, Laura
Paperback
Living Well with Social Anxiety: Practical Strategies for Improving Your Daily Life
Dobson, Deborah
Paperback