Writer’s Choice
As you read, I’d like you to think about a set of questions—and answer them in comments on the articles! You don’t need to respond to all of these, but let them guide your reading.
1. How have various scholars and policymakers operationalized the concept of poverty differently?
2. What goes into measuring poverty, and what’s left out?
3. How are these measures used, and why was the Trump administration trying to redefine the formula?
4. How have these differences in measurement affected what we think is happening during the COVID-19 pandemic?
5. To what extent is the very concept of “poverty” still not agreed on? Does a relative measure of poverty suggest a re-conceptualization?
