Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty

FEATURING MARK RANK – Inequality in America, already sky high before the coronavirus hit, has been greatly exacerbated by the pandemic. But understanding poverty in the world’s richest nation has always been a challenge. Media narratives and politicians’ rhetoric fuel the perception that poverty is what someone else experiences. But in fact poverty is widespread in America and affects nearly everyone at some point in their lives. Understanding poverty, who it affects, how it can be addressed, what works and what doesn’t, is critical to fixing the nation’s deep economic inequality. My author has launched an ambitious effort to that end.

Mark Rank, Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts and speakers in the country on issues of inequality, poverty, and social justice. He has written numerous books and created a website called Confronting Poverty. His newest book, co-authored with Lawrence Eppard, and Heather Bullock is called Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty.

*This segment was originally broadcast on March 12, 2021.