8/9/2005 Publication of Review of evidence on the extra costs of disability DWP working paper no 21
On 8 September 2005, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) published a report (Review of evidence on the extra costs of disability (DWP working paper no 21)) which reviews research carried out on the level of extra costs faced by disabled people.
The main findings of the review are:
- measuring the extra costs faced by disabled people is conceptually difficult. Different studies have measured actual costs, or expenditure incurred by disabled people, the cost of meeting needs at a set level, and the material deprivation experienced by disabled people.
- It is also methodologically difficult to measure extra costs. Four different approaches have so far been adopted and results differ between and within methodologies.
- On the one hand measuring actual expenditure on meeting disability-related needs (realised extra costs) may be a reflection of the budgetary constraints people face, rather than expenditure required to meet needs.
- On the other hand estimating the expenditure required to meet needs (e.g. potential extra costs) is difficult. There are problems deciding at what level different needs should be met, and it is difficult to base measures on hypothetical estimates of budget or expenditure.
- The review concludes that there is much variation in the estimates of extra costs produced by previous studies, and that much of this is caused by differences in the conceptual and methodological approaches adopted. However, the vast majority of studies conclude that there are extra costs associated with being disabled, even if the actual amount (and what should be included within this) is under debate.
The report is available on the DWP website:
