Title: Unequal struggle? Consumption and debt – a view from the Debt Advice Industry in the UK

Authors: Richard Savage

Addresses: 41 Queens Road, London, N11 2QP, UK

Abstract: This paper offers a qualitative study of personal debt from the perspective of the UK Debt Advice Industry. The paper looks at the rising levels of personal debt on the eve of the current financial crisis and the issue of sustainability. It uses qualitative research to track the views of representative senior managers, front line debt advisors and call listening to debt hotlines. Part one identifies the ways in which debt has been argued to support a consumption based business model. Part two briefly sketches some of the factors that have enabled personal debt levels to rise. Part three looks at some of the problems this has led to. The remainder of the article reports on the perceptions of those involved in the debt advice industry of the kinds of problems that they and their clients face.

Keywords: credit industry; consumer debt; sub-prime loans; credit crunch; debt advice industry; UK; United Kingdom; personal debt; sustainability; business models; financial crisis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMCP.2009.027618

International Journal of Management Concepts and Philosophy, 2009 Vol.3 No.4, pp.378 - 396

Published online: 04 Aug 2009 *

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