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Payday financing within the UK: the regul(aris)ation of a necessary evil?

Payday financing within the UK: the regul(aris)ation of a necessary evil?

KAREN ROWLINGSON

* School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT

LINDSEY APPLEYARD

** Centre for company in Society, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry

JODI GARDNER

*** Corpus Christi University, Merton Street, Oxford

Abstract

Concern concerning the increasing usage of payday lending led the united kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority to introduce landmark reforms. While these reforms have actually generally speaking been welcomed as a means of curbing ‘extortionate’ and ‘predatory’ lending, this paper presents an even more nuanced image centered on a theoretically-informed analysis associated with development and nature of payday financing along with initial and rigorous qualitative interviews with clients. We argue that payday lending is continuing to grow because of three major and inter-related styles: growing earnings insecurity for folks in both and away from work; cuts in state welfare supply; and increasing financialisation. Present reforms of payday financing do absolutely nothing to tackle these causes. Our research additionally makes an important share to debates in regards to the ‘everyday life’ of financialisation by concentrating on the ‘lived experience’ of borrowers. We reveal that, contrary to the quite picture that is simplistic because of the media and lots of campaigners, different facets of payday financing are now welcomed by clients, provided the circumstances these are generally in. Tighter regulation may consequently have negative effects for some. More generally speaking, we argue that the regul(aris)ation of payday financing reinforces the change within the part of this state from provider/redistributor to regulator/enabler.