ABSTRACT
Having a slice that is large enough to be nourishing is a prerequisite for a good life. But by the measurement standards used in the United States, tens of millions of people receive a “slice too small.” Worldwide, billions of people receive a too-small slice. This chapter discusses the extent of poverty in the United States, explains how poverty is measured, wades into the debate over how poverty should be measured, attempts to describe a “typical” poor person, and looks at the wide range of opinion about why people are poor.
