What 'causes' poverty? Here are some assertions made by those who study it:
- Geography (Gulf Coast, Appalachia, tribal areas/reservations, inner cities, third world), uneven distribution of resources (Nigeria? Congo? Appalachia?)
- Discrimination (intentional or institutional), inequality
- Some are born into it (class, caste)
- Poor people more likely to be non-white, female
- Inability to work (physical or mental)
- Misfortunes—crop failure, job loss, divorce, natural disasters (Katrina), catastrophic health problems, economic disruptions (e.g., mill closing), warfare, displacement (poverty as a process--in other words, it can be episodic)
- Depressed economy
- Lack of opportunity (available jobs may not pay a 'living wage')
- Poor, uncompetitive school system
- Structural factors (e.g., rural areas with undiversified economies, racial, gender discrimination)
- Social/economic inequality (affects people’s life chances)
- Corrupt government, lack of democracy (decisions about distributing wealth are made in private, by powerful groups)
- Overpopulation
- Historical legacies (colonialism, for instance—look at tribal reservations, slavery)
- Relative poverty—are people in the US making $10K/yr poor?
- Individual traits
- Lack of human capital
- Lack of motivation
- Lack of personal responsibility
So . . . what do you think? Which of these could we actually test? And how?
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