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Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Suburbanization of American Poverty

Elizabeth Kneebone, October 19, 2009, Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity

The latest data from the Census Bureau reveal that the first year of the Great Recession boosted American poverty, but Sun Belt metro areas and large suburbs bore the brunt of poverty increases in 2008. Elizabeth Kneebone explores recent city and suburban poverty trends in this Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity article. Read More

U.S. Poverty, U.S. Census, Concentrated Poverty

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioUrban Revitalization and Opportunity

Bruce Katz, July 09, 2009

Urban Revitalization and OpportunityPublic housing has long been criticized as a breeding ground for concentrated poverty, under-achieving schools and for its lack of access to services. Bruce Katz says that President Obama's Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, an expansion of HOPE VI, will revitalize poor communities while enhancing opportunities for residents and the business community.

Concentrated Poverty, U.S. Poverty, Housing, Working Poor, Inequality

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioA New Goal for America’s High Schools: College Preparation for All

Ron Haskins and James Kemple, May 14, 2009, The Future of Children

A New Goal for America’s High Schools: College Preparation for AllIn this policy brief, a companion to the volume of The Future of Children devoted to high school reforms, Ron Haskins and James Kemple examine the steps high schools should take to help low-income students prepare for and succeed in college. Specifically, they argue, high schools should boost students’ subject matter knowledge and study skills and counsel students on how to select colleges and obtain financial aid. Read More

Education, U.S. Higher Education, Children & Families, Urban and Inner-city Schools, Economic Mobility

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioHow to Reverse the Trend of Concentrated Poverty

Alan Berube, December 28, 2008, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Alan Berube urges policy-makers to evaluate short-term opportunities and set long-term strategies in order to help Cleveland’s next generation of residents overcome the challenges of concentrated poverty. Read More

Concentrated Poverty, Unemployment, Children & Families, Earned Income Tax Credit, Economic Mobility

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioConfronting Concentrated Poverty in Tough Economic Times

Alan Berube, December 03, 2008, Federal Reserve Board of Governors

At a forum hosted by the Federal Reserve Board to discuss a new joint Fed/Brookings report on concentrated poverty in America, Alan Berube discussed the importance of focusing on policies that can help poor people in very poor places, particularly in the context of a severe downturn and in light of the significant stimulus/recovery package being created to boost the economy. Read More

Concentrated Poverty, Housing, U.S. Poverty, Working Poor

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioThe Scouting Report: Decrease Poverty and Increase Opportunity

Wednesday, November 26, 2008
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Reuters/Cheryl RaveloToo many Americans leave school with inadequate skills, and too many working families struggle to make ends meet. Greater investments in economic opportunity are needed to reduce poverty and increase future economic mobility for today’s poor children. On Wednesday, November 26, Brookings Senior Fellow Rebecca Blank answered questions during a web chat with Politico about poverty in the United States and creating opportunities for American families. Read More

The Presidential Transition, U.S. Poverty, U.S. Economy, Economic Mobility, Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioThe Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America

Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone, October 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution

The Federal Reserve System and its 12 member banks partnered with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program to produce a new, in-depth look at concentrated poverty in America. The two-year study profiles 16 high-poverty communities across the United States, investigating the historical and contemporary factors associated with their high levels of economic distress. Read More

Concentrated Poverty, Working Poor, U.S. Poverty, Earned Income Tax Credit, Inequality

PAST EVENT

Save to My PortfolioPoverty Reduction Strategies for the Next Decade

Monday, September 29, 2008
9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC

Poverty Reduction Strategies for the Next DecadeOn September 29, several prominent scholars and policy advocates outlined their key recommendations for improving the quality of life for people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, including proposals to improve employment and earnings, strengthen families, enhance opportunities for children, and improve neighborhoods.  Discussions of the proposals were followed by comments from policy experts. Read More

U.S. Poverty, U.S. Economy, Children & Families, Concentrated Poverty, Cost of Living

VIDEO

Save to My PortfolioLow-Income Families and Communities

Alan Berube, August 12, 2008

In a new report, Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone explain that following a dramatic decline in concentrated poverty in the 1990s, the number of low-income workers and families living in high-working-poverty neighborhoods rose by a striking 41% in the first half of this decade. Alan Berube says that help for high working-poverty communities will come from stronger national and regional economic growth—plus targeted efforts to protect neighborhoods of choice and connection.

Concentrated Poverty, Working Poor, Earned Income Tax Credit, U.S. Poverty, Inequality

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReversal of Fortune: A New Look at Concentrated Poverty in the 2000s

Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube, August 08, 2008, The Brookings Institution

After dramatic declines in concentrated poverty in the 1990s, the number of low-income workers and families living in high-working-poverty neighborhoods rose by a striking 41% in the first half of this decade, according to a new report from the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. The report's authors draw on data from the IRS to measure the change in rates of “concentrated working poverty” nationally and in many of the largest metropolitan areas across the country. Read More

Concentrated Poverty, Working Poor, Earned Income Tax Credit, U.S. Poverty, Inequality

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class From Within

Martha Ross, March 26, 2007, The Brookings Institution

In her presentation at the Brookings event on reducing poverty in Washington D.C., Martha Ross discusses how to help the city's low-income residents move into the middle class over the next few years. Read More

Washington DC, Cities, U.S. Poverty, Economic Development, Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioReducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within

Brooke DeRenzis and Martha Ross, March 01, 2007, The Brookings Institution

This paper makes a set of focused recommendations to increase the skills, earnings, and employment of at least 10,500 low-income, less-skilled residents over the next seven years. Read More

Washington DC, U.S. Poverty, Cities, Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioConfronting Concentrated Poverty in Fresno

Alan Berube, September 06, 2006, Fresno Works for Better Health

In this presentation to a citywide convening hosted by Fresno Works for Better Health, Alan Berube examines the causes of concentrated poverty in Fresno, the city with the deepest neighborhood poverty nationwide as noted by Census 2000. Read More

Housing, Cities, California, Regions and States, Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioHelping D.C.'s Lower Ninth Wards

Alan Berube and Martha Ross, November 10, 2005, The Brookings Institution

In a vibrant city like Washington, concentrated poverty is inexcusable. Read More

Housing, Washington DC, Cities, Concentrated Poverty

RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Save to My PortfolioKatrina's Window: Confronting Concentrated Poverty Across America

Alan Berube and Bruce Katz, October 01, 2005, The Brookings Institution

Read More

U.S. Poverty, Welfare, Concentrated Poverty

In Brief

Poor individuals and families are not evenly distributed across communities or throughout the country. Instead, they tend to live near one another, clustering in certain neighborhoods and regions. This concentration of poverty results in higher crime rates, underperforming public schools, poor housing and health conditions, as well as limits access to private services and job opportunities.

Featured Experts

Alan Berube

Alan Berube

Senior Fellow and Research Director, Metropolitan Policy Program

Alan Berube is a senior fellow and research director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. A former policy advisor to the U.S. Treasury Department, he is an expert on metropolitan demographics, low-wage workers, and urban poverty.
Read More

Ron Haskins

Ron Haskins

Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

A former White House and congressional advisor on welfare issues, Ron Haskins co-directs the Brookings Center on Children and Families. An expert on preschool, foster care, and poverty—he was instrumental in the 1996 overhaul of national welfare policy.
Read More

Bruce Katz

Bruce Katz

Vice President and Director, Metropolitan Policy Program
The Adeline M. and Alfred I. Johnson Chair in Urban and Metropolitan Policy

Bruce Katz, vice president and founding director of the Metropolitan Policy Program, regularly advises national, state, regional and municipal leaders on policy reforms that advance the competitiveness of metropolitan areas.
Read More

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Spotlight

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

ExpertTed Gayer

Ted Gayer is the co-director of the Economic Studies program and the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. He conducts research on a variety of economic issues, focusing particularly on public finance, environmental and energy economics, housing, and regulatory policy.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

ExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is a senior fellow with the Africa Growth Initiative. He focuses on Africa's development, including institutions for economic growth, the political economy, and private sector development.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.

ExpertFederiga Bindi

Federiga Bindi is a leading expert on European political integration. She has a broad experience in government and held a number of posts in international organizations. Bindi currently serves as an advisor to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her research focuses on the EU, transatlantic relations; EU states foreign policies, global governance issues.

ExpertMark McClellan

Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.