ABSTRACT
Of the many topics discussed in this book, poverty is one of the most difficult to define and explain, as well as being one of the most difficult to solve. The goal of reducing poverty is similar to other ethical goals such as freedom or equality. All of these terms involve multiple dimensions, multiple definitions, and alternative measurements. As the first quote above indicates, poverty is not necessarily determined by a lack of real income. Inadequate consumption and the lack of access to fundamental public services represent dimensions of poverty that are sometimes separate from household income. Even if poverty is interpreted as inadequate income, its meaning and measurement remain controversial. According to common measures, U.S. poverty ranges from 12 to as much as 20 percent of the population. There is also statistical uncertainty about the relationship between poverty and inequality that affects our interpretation of poverty. Finally, most poverty measures divide a nation’s population into two groups, the poor and the non-poor. For example, in 2013, a single American under 65 earning $195 per week was officially poor but another single American earning $196 per week was not. Yet it is quite clear that poverty is not a yes or no problem, since some officially poor households are far better off than others. If we can’t agree on what the problem is, or how serious it is, any debate over possible solutions to the problem becomes particularly difficult to resolve.
