Poverty, by America (2023)

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Introduction

Why do one in six children live in poverty in the world's wealthiest country? Why is it that poverty rates in America have remained relatively unchanged since the 1970s, despite America's high GDP? When compared to other major economies, American GDP is more than Japan, the United Kingdom, India, and Italy combined! Matthew Desmond's book, "Poverty, by America" (2023), delves into the reasons behind the persistently high rates of poverty in America and explores how poverty is not only an...

A tangled tale of interlinked social issues!

The land of opportunities is also the land with a shockingly abysmal poverty rate. 38 million people in the world's wealthiest nation can’t even afford the basic necessities, with over one million resorting to makeshift living situations like cars, shelters, etc.Technically, you're poor if you can't afford necessities like housing and food. But poverty is far uglier in reality. “Poverty isn’t simply the condition of not having enough money,” Desmond writes. “It’s the condition of not having enough choice and...

Exploitative practices of industry!

'Work is worship' rings hollow when exploitation reigns. The poor-income households remain poor due to stagnant wages, even when each member goes to work daily. Here's an eye-opening stat for you: The annual rise in inflation-adjusted wages is just 0.3 percent in the last 40 years, barely budging while expenses climbed to unmanageable heights! A million workers earn less than the minimum hourly wage. The booming corporations are simply unwilling to share their profits and refuse to increase labor costs....

The great housing tragedy of America!

As if exploitation in employment doesn't drain workers enough, we have consumer exploitation to deal with! Consumer exploitation is when they slap crazy price tags on stuff that ain't worth it. For this: An entrepreneur starts a low-cost bracelet business buying simple strings and beads wholesale for $0.50 per unit. He employs a local woman to hand assemble bracelets, compensating work at $2 per finished bracelet but then markets completed bracelets for $20. This is exploitation! One is getting paid...

The conundrum of welfare policies!

America is a welfare economy, so why does poverty persist?? Are poor people just lazy, depending on the government for cash? Blah, blah, blah! That's Karen speaking. Statements like these only dehumanize the real economic hardship many face. Yes, there are programs like Medicaid, food stamps, unemployment insurance, and tax credits in place, but there's more to the story.Let's understand the conundrum of welfare policies through this example.  Rewind to the pandemic lockdown. The world is literally shutting down. People are...

Is there a tenable solution to poverty?

That is one loaded question! But, in the simplest words: YES! See, true change hinges on awakening our shared sense of moral obligation. The will of the people, that's where the solution lies. Systems need reshaping too, no doubt - legislation in labor laws, housing laws, mortgage qualification, and a million other sectors can do with some reformation. But cultural change fuels policy change. Remember that!Desmond is a staunch believer in sector-wise improvements. To begin with, encouraging home ownership and checking...

Summary

Poverty, by America (2023) investigates our role in poverty and sees the interconnected issues of pain, fear, and shame that make poverty an unbeatable monster. Though long viewed as intractable, poverty persists more from indifference than inevitability. Each of us has a role to play in uplifting the vulnerable. Progress on poverty is achievable if we commit to inclusive solutions rooted in compassion and justice from the ground up. Reform awaits, wake up!

Key concepts in Poverty, by America (2023)

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About the Author

Matthew Desmond is the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton University and the principal investigator of The Eviction Lab. After receiving his Ph.D. in 2010 from the University of Wisconsin at Madison, he joined the Harvard Society of Fellows as a Junior Fellow. He is the author of multiple books, including Poverty, by America (2023) and Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City (2016), which won the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, and Carnegie Medal, and PEN / John Kenneth Galbraith Award for Nonfiction. Desmond's research focuses on poverty in America, city life, housing insecurity, public policy, racial inequality, and ethnography. He is the recipient of a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship, the American Bar Association's Silver Gavel Award, and the William Julius Wilson Early Career Award. A Contributing Writer for the New York Times Magazine, Desmond was listed in 2016 among the Politico 50, as one of "fifty people across the country who are most influencing the national political debate."