Introduction: unmet care needs and care poverty in international perspective

This introductory chapter presents the background, aims, key concepts and structure of the book. Based on a collaboration of social policy researchers from a range of countries and welfare settings, the book reviews and synthesises the state of the art of research on unmet care needs of older and disabled people. It brings together not only the empirical evidence but also the theoretical and methodological approaches of this growing strand of research literature. This empirical, theoretical and methodological knowledge is then framed and discussed under a new concept, that of care poverty, which highlights the structural basis and inequality dimension of the lack of adequate care and support. The book explores the relevance and potential of this approach for research and policy in different social and cultural contexts.