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Make Me Smart

Why the U.S. has failed to end poverty

Make Me Smart

Marketplace

News, Business

4.65.4K Ratings

🗓️ 10 May 2023

⏱️ 26 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Child poverty levels fell dramatically — nearly in half — in 2021 with the help of pandemic-era government programs and cash assistance. But with those programs gone, poverty in the United States looks pretty much the same as it has for the past 50 years, despite an overall increase in how much we’re spending on welfare.

This has us wondering: Why is that?

On the show today, sociologist Matthew Desmond, author of “Poverty, by America,” breaks down how the United States became a country with more poverty than other rich democracies, what’s wrong with our welfare system and what really works to reduce poverty. Plus, the role regular Americans play in all of it.

In the News Fix: Following the tragic death of Jordan Neely in New York City, we reflect on the responsibility shared by society at large for allowing unjust systems to remain in place. And, a key player in the global wood pulp industry is considering switching to Chinese currency in its business transactions. We’ll get into what that could mean for the future of the U.S. dollar as the world’s reserve currency.

Later, we’ll hear about an early depiction of a bathroom in the “Star Wars” universe. Plus, one couple shares their perspective on Kai’s “rants.” And, this week’s answer to the Make Me Smart question comes from the mom of one of our producers.

Here’s everything we talked about today:

Do you have an answer to the Make Me Smart question? We want to hear it. Leave us a voice message at 508-U-B-SMART, and your submission may be featured in a future episode.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

There we go.

0:01.0

You know, like it seems.

0:05.0

Hello, I'm Kim Brillieta.

0:08.0

Welcome to Make Me Smart.

0:09.7

None of us is as smart as all of us.

0:11.8

Okay, Ristola is Tuesday.

0:13.4

This one is the 9th of May today.

0:16.3

Single topic on the single show on Tuesday.

0:18.1

That's what we do.

0:19.3

Why poverty in the United States in a country as rich as it is, the richest country in the

0:24.8

history of the planet.

0:26.6

There are still millions and millions and millions and millions of people.

0:30.4

Many of them children, living in poverty.

0:33.0

Right.

0:34.0

And even though we've talked about how child poverty fell 46% during the pandemic, poverty

0:40.0

overall has pretty much stayed more or less the same over the last 50 years.

0:44.8

And here to make a smart about why that is is Princeton's sociologist Matthew Desmond.

0:50.8

His new book, Poverty by America, digs into some of those systems that keep poverty in

0:56.0

place and what can be done to potentially change it.

0:59.5

So welcome to the show.

1:01.0

Thanks for having me.

1:03.9

So the title of your book, Poverty by America, what's different about poverty in America

...

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