The way forward to reduce poverty and promote the American Dream

Reducing poverty and increasing social mobility are bipartisan national priorities. They are discussed often by both the President and Congress, in think tanks and universities, and in the press and the public sphere. They are—and will continue to be—major issues for both parties in the 2016 presidential campaign.

This new report from the AEI-Brookings Working Group on Poverty and Opportunity has drawn from the best thinking across the political spectrum to offer a new way of thinking about poverty and economic mobility based on three core values:

1. That all Americans should have the opportunity to apply their talents and efforts to better themselves and their children, regardless of the circumstances of their birth;
2. That all Americans have a responsibiliy to provide for themselves and their families to the best of their abilities before asking others for help;
3. That all Americans are entitled to a basic level of security against the vacissitudes of life and, in a nation as rich as ours, to a baseline level of material well-being.

In the final chapter, the Working Group discusses the values and outlines how to pay for the report’s recommendations.