Poverty, by America Matthew Desmond

In Poverty, by America, social scientist Matthew Desmond writes that the United States, despite its vast wealth and prosperity, suffers from poverty and inequality unseen anywhere else in the developed world.According to him, poverty in America persists because it benefits many Americans to keep a share of their fellow Americans in a state of want—and he issues a call to arms to readers to examine their role in benefiting from and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.In this guide, we’ll explore the key points raised by Desmond, including:The experience of poverty in America and its devastating social consequencesThe false explanations for why people are poor—and stay poorHow non-poor Americans benefit from the poverty of their fellow AmericansThe choices we can make—both at a policy and individual level—to empower the poor and eradicate povertyThroughout the guide, we’ll supplement Desmond’s findings with arguments from other poverty scholars, journalists, and economists—both to provide additional support and context for Desmond’s ideas, and to challenge his conclusions.