The Gray Area with Sean Illing

Why the poor in America stay poor

May 22, 2023

Matthew Desmond, a sociology professor and author renowned for his books on poverty, discusses the systemic roots of poverty in America. He highlights how societal awareness of privilege can drive change and critiques the ineffectiveness of current government aid programs. Desmond emphasizes the need for collective responsibility and innovative strategies to combat poverty, while also sharing hopeful narratives of grassroots movements that have made a difference. He challenges listeners to reconsider their roles in perpetuating or alleviating poverty.

54:46

Episode guests

Matthew Desmond

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Examining Poverty: A Systemic Approach

14min

Redefining Poverty: Measuring Hardship and the Effectiveness of Anti-Poverty Policies

6min

The Decline of Labor and the Rise of Inequality

2min

Misallocation of Poverty Relief Funding in America

2min

Addressing Poverty: Challenges and Collective Action

14min

Innovative Strategies for Fighting Poverty

3min

Grassroots Hope Amid Disillusionment

14min

Are we responsible for keeping poor people poor? Sean Illing is joined by Matt Desmond, a sociology professor at Princeton University and the author of the books Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City and Poverty, by America. They discuss why most Americans are unaware of their privilege and how their choices perpetuate poverty. They also discuss the power and hope that can come from bringing awareness to these choices and why abolishing poverty is possible.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area

Guest: Matthew Desmond, Sociology professor, and author of Poverty, by America

References:

Poverty, by America by Matthew Desmond (Penguin Random House, 2023)
Evicted: Poverty And Profit In The American City by Matthew Desmond (Penguin Random House, 2017)
“Why even brilliant scholars misunderstand poverty in America” by Dylan Matthews (Vox, Mar. 2023)

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This episode was made by:

Engineer: Patrick Boyd
Editorial Director, Vox Talk: A.M. Hall

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