Issue: Poverty
Poverty remains a pressing problem in the United States. Many of the 36 million Americans in poverty are working, but full-time work at the minimum wage does not provide enough income to escape poverty. It is important to design strategies to reduce poverty and strengthen growth across the income spectrum.
Events
New Approaches to Policy: Hamilton Project Strategy Paper
A Hand Up: A Strategy to Reward Work, Expand Opportunity, and Reduce Poverty By Jason E. Bordoff, Jason Furman and Paige L. Shevlin
For decades, America has failed to make sufficient progress toward reducing poverty. The continued persistence of poverty among low-income workers defies America’s promise that hard work will pay enough to raise a family in dignity. In response, several policy reforms are needed to provide for both America’s continued economic growth and broad-based opportunity: helping people enter the labor force and rewarding their work; making the right long-term investments in our people; shoring up our social insurance programs; and increasing the progressivity of efficient tools like the tax code to share the gains of growth more broadly. Taking these steps will not only alleviate poverty, but will raise living standards for all Americans by enabling the poorest individuals to contribute more productively to our economy. Combined with other targeted policies to meet the unique needs of those living in poverty, such an approach can help many more Americans share in our nation’s prosperity.
Poverty Discussion Papers
All Hamilton Research and Commentary
All Hamilton Research and Commentary
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