Progress for the Poor

Lane Kenworthy studies the causes and consequences of poverty, inequality, mobility, employment, economic growth, social policy, taxes, and public opinion in affluent countries. In addition to Progress for the Poor, he is the author of Jobs with Equality (Oxford University Press, 2008), Egalitarian Capitalism (Russell Sage Foundation, 2004),In Search of National Economic Success (Sage, 1995), and articles in various social science journals. He also writes on these topics at his blog, Consider the Evidence. He is professor of sociology and political science at the University of Arizona.

This brief, concise book looks at the available data for industrialized countries in an attempt to compare the well-being of the least well-off and the effects of various government taxing and income support programs ... The questions Kenworthy asks are most important ... This volume is made more readable by relegating the data discussion to an appendix and by using footnotes. Highly recommended.

• 1. Raise the Floor ; 2. Growth is Good for the Poor, if Social Policy Passes It On ; 3. How Trickle Down Can Fail: the U.S. Case ; 4. Generous Social Policy Reduces Material Deprivation ; 5. Low Wages Need Not Mean Low Incomes ; 6. Targeting May Not Be So Bad ; 7. Public Services Are an Important Antipoverty Tool ; 8. The Tax Mix Matters Less Than We Thought ; 9. The Aim Is Not Spending Per Se ; 10. Tradeoffs? ; 11. The Politics of Helping the Poor ; Acknowledgments ; Appendix: Data Definitions and Sources ; Notes ; References ; Index