The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-off Can't Help the Poor

The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-off Can't Help the Poor
ISBN-10
0300120907
ISBN-13
9780300120905
Category
Social Science
Pages
190
Language
English
Published
2007-01-01
Publisher
Yale University Press
Author
Charles Karelis

Description

Why hasn't the poverty rate fallen in four decades, despite society's massive and varied efforts? The notable philosopher Charles Karelis contends that conventional explanations of poverty rest on a mistake. And so do the antipoverty policies they generate. This book proposes a new explanation of the behaviors that keep people poor, including nonwork, quitting school, nonsaving, and breaking the law. Provocative and thoughtful, it finds a hidden rationality in the problematic conduct of many poor people, a rationality long missed by economists. Using science, history, fables, philosophical analysis, and common observation, the author engages us and takes us to a deeper grasp of the link between consumption and satisfaction, and from there to a new view of distributive justice and to fresh policy recommendations for combating poverty. With this bold work and original insights, the long-stalled campaign against poverty can begin to move forward once more.

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