Zachary Parolin (Antwerp) and David Brady (UC-Riverside): Extreme Child Poverty and the Role of Social Policy in the United States. How cities make money by fining the poor. Millions of Americans are one missed paycheck away from poverty, report says. America is poorer than it thinks: Statistics don’t quite capture the extent of U.S. poverty — a new measure could change that. Thread: “Here’s a remarkable fact: Dollar stores are now feeding more Americans than Whole Foods is – even though most dollar stores have no fresh food, only a limited selection of packaged items”. Dollar stores understand the age of inequality better than almost any other business.
Mary Brimmer (Skidmore): A Silver Lining: The Role of Optimism in Overcoming Poverty in Early Life. Heather Boushey interviews Hilary Hoynes on federal social safety net programs. Where government is a dirty word, but its checks pay the bills. Consolation prizes: Alex Pareene on the Right’s bid to short-circuit inequality with cheap gizmos. The important questions about universal basic income haven’t been answered yet. Dylan Matthews on 5 anti-poverty plans from 2020 Democratic presidential contenders, explained.
