The Empathy Fix to Allen & Unwin UK

Editor Erika Koljonen at Atlantic Books has bought World Rights in The Empathy Fix: Why poverty persists and how to change it by Dr Keetie Roelen from Ciara Finan at Curtis Brown. The Empathy Fix will be published in demy hardback, ebook and audio on 30th January 2025 on the Allen & Unwin UK imprint.

 

Poverty is bad for everyone: viewed as something shameful, it reduces brainpower and hampers positive action, as well as increasing crime, burdening healthcare systems and raising taxpayers’ bills. At a time of growing inequality, increased socioeconomic uncertainty and unacceptable levels of hardship, and with millions around the world struggling to make ends meet, tackling poverty has never been more urgent. But why is it so difficult to fix? The deeply engrained prejudice and punitive policies lead to vicious cycles of deprivation, and while positive psychology that emphasises personal strengths can be empowering, it also feeds toxic narratives of failure and defeat. The flipside of taking credit for individual success is that the inability to achieve it is attributed to personal shortcomings.

 

The Empathy Fix exposes the realities of poverty and reveals why policies don’t work. It shows what is needed to radically rethink current efforts to tackle poverty: empathy.

 

Dr Keetie Roelen is a Senior Research Fellow and Co-Deputy Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Development at The Open University, UK. She has been working in the field of poverty, social policy, and international development for nearly two decades and is the founder and host of the Poverty Unpacked podcast, a platform for exploring the hidden sides of poverty.

 

Her work has featured in The Guardian and BBC World Service. She has spoken about how to address poverty to multiple audiences, ranging from government ministers and MPs to students and activists.

 

Dr Keetie Roelen says,

‘In The Empathy Fix, I reveal how our attitudes and approaches to poverty often make things worse rather than help people live better lives. From labelling low-income individuals as lazy and inept, making poor families pay more for essentials and physically brandishing children unable to pay their school lunches, this book exposes the hidden and ugly truths of how we fail those in hardship around the world. But it isn’t all doom and gloom. Positive change is possible, and The Empathy Fix offers practical advice for how we can all tap into our innate ability to empathise and take action.’

 

Erika Koljonen says,

‘I’m so excited and proud to be publishing this vital and solution-driven book on my list. Keetie draws from her wealth of expertise and the latest research to show the realities of poverty on a truly global scale. Her in-depth discussion and analysis offers both individual readers and policymakers realistic and tangible solutions, as well as hope for the future.’