Super Session:
Is the War on Poverty Over?
(Poverty and Income Policy)
Friday, November 9, 2018: 10:15 AM-11:45 AM
Lincoln 4 - Exhibit Level (Marriott Wardman Park)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
Moderators: David Johnson, University of Michigan
Speakers: Richard Burkhauser, Cornell University, Bruce Meyer, University of Chicago, Tim Smeeding, University of Wisconsin and Jane Waldfogel, Columbia University
Recent reports from the Census Bureau show that the official poverty rate in the U.S. was 12.7 percent in 2016. A companion, the Supplemental Poverty measure, shows that the poverty rate was 13.9 percent in 2016. A recent report from the Council of Economic Advisors focuses on a consumption measure of poverty and states: “…our War on Poverty is largely over and a success.” All of these measures use a different measure of poverty. But what does it mean to be poor in the U.S., how do we measure it, and how has it changed since the War on Poverty began? This roundtable brings together experts on the measurement of income and poverty who have not only written extensively, but have advocated for alternative measures. They also have a variety of views on the appropriate measure of poverty and how it has changed.
