Topic: Poverty

Report: Child poverty rate hits 20 percent in US as families struggle

Over the past decade, child poverty grew in 38 states. Economic recession and housing foreclosures are among the major reasons, wiping out earlier gains, a new report finds.
08/17/2011 06:18 pm

Budget cuts: five groups likely to feel the pinch

If there's one thing that's lacking in the debt deal that president signed on Aug. 2, it's specifics. It asks for $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next 10 years, but gives few concrete details about where they'll come from. The deal does outline some changes for student loans, and it leaves out renewals for a couple of unemployment benefits programs. But most of the envisioned budget cuts won't become clearer until this fall, when a 12-member, bipartisan "super committee" gives its recommendations to Congress. Some Americans may be particularly vulnerable to their budget choices. Here are five groups who could see a reduction in government largesse:
08/09/2011 02:44 pm

Donald Marron Why do half of Americans pay no federal income tax?

A new study shows the top reasons that some Americans don't pay federal income taxes
07/28/2011 03:45 pm

In Pictures Breaking the class ceiling

Change Agent Zambian banana plantation teaches at-risk youth useful life skills

At-risk teens and young adults in the Chongwe and Luagwa districts of Zambia work with ChildFund International to build a business in bananas. The banana plantation, built and cared for by the young people, will see its first harvest in November.
07/21/2011 01:07 pm

Brazil's new plan to beat poverty

Brazil just launched a new, multibillion-dollar program to aid the 16 million Brazilians still living in extreme poverty. The program is the latest in an effort across Latin America to stamp out poverty.
07/07/2011 12:20 pm

'Radical' changes needed to meet rising food demands: UN

A new United Nations report calls for a 'green revolution' in agriculture, saying farmers must increase food production by as much as 100 percent by 2050.
07/06/2011 01:22 pm

Reader recommendation: The Death and Life of the Great American School System

07/05/2011 06:30 am

Africa Monitor Africans planning electric power with climate change in mind

Africa is set to be hit hard by climate change, and it already faces the highest electric power costs in the world. But new initiatives could put Africa at forefront in adapting alternative energies.
06/28/2011 11:55 am

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day: 06/17

Change Agent Opportunity Fund helps opportunity knock for low-income borrowers

Micro-lending to the poor in the US is quietly growing. But the Opportunity Fund finds that helping people learn how to save is important too.
06/16/2011 04:02 pm

Tax VOX How tariff policy can hurt the poor

People working to alleviate poverty should pay attention to something they may not be used to following: tariff policy
06/14/2011 04:26 pm

Election 101: Ten facts about Michele Bachmann and her presidential bid

With her announcement Monday that she is entering the presidential race, Michele Bachmann has given the tea party a candidate to call its own. Her conservative views and flame-throwing style have already attracted tangible support from evangelicals and the anti-Washington crowd. But is she capable of running a campaign that can withstand the rigors and scrutiny of the presidential process?
06/14/2011 01:07 pm

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 06/03

Iraq's Arab Spring: Protests rise against persistent poverty in oil-rich nation

Iraq claims to have the world's second-largest oil reserves, but 1 in 6 Iraqis live in poverty. Protests have already forced three provincial governors to resign.
05/24/2011 03:58 pm

Election 101: Tim Pawlenty as 'everyman's' candidate? Ten points about who he is.

Tim Pawlenty wants a White House ending to his rags-to-riches rise. The former governor declared his candidacy for president May 22 in a video released on his website. The grandson of German immigrants and the first in his family to attend college, Pawlenty is hoping his foes’ flaws are his ticket to victory.
05/23/2011 11:23 am

The Adam Smith Institute Blog Middle class rising in Africa—any thanks to Bono?

Africa needs trade more than it needs aid from celebrities in the West
05/09/2011 10:49 am

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 04/10

Global Viewpoint Micro-lending genius Yunus: Why he was done wrong

The Bangladeshi government's treatment of Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize winner who has lifted millions out of poverty with his micro-lending program, is shameful. And it does nothing to help the poor.
04/08/2011 11:58 am

12 books Seth Godin thinks you should read

Nonprofit group TED asks some of the world's most fascinating thinkers to share both ideas and reading lists. Here's a list of the 12 books recommended by entrepreneur and marketing guru Seth Godin.
04/01/2011 03:50 pm

The Adam Smith Institute Blog Could 'charter cities' help poor countries blossom?

Even when Hong Kong was under British rule, neighboring China benefited from its economy. Would the same model work in the rest of the developing world?
03/25/2011 04:35 pm

Green Economics Urbanization is good for the environment—but are megacities?

Too much population growth in megacities can be harmful to air quality and health.
03/15/2011 03:35 pm

Japan earthquake: 5 ways the international community is helping

Japan has received offers of assistance from 14 international organizations and 102 countries (including a number of unexpected aid donors such as embattled Afghanistan and poverty-stricken Cambodia), according to the latest report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Japan has accepted help, mostly in the form of search and rescue teams, from 15 countries. Here is an overview of some of the help pouring into Japan as it struggles to dig out from Friday’s 9.0-magnitude earthquake and resulting tsunami.
03/15/2011 01:33 pm

'Slumdog' star homeless after Mumbai fire

'Slumdog': Fire destroyed most of the awards that Rubina Ali received for her role as a poverty-stricken child in the Oscar-winning film.
03/08/2011 11:13 am

The Vote Natalie Portman aside, is Mike Huckabee right about single mothers?

On Facebook, Mike Huckabee says he didn't 'slam' or 'attack' single and pregnant Natalie Portman. His remarks, he said, were about the 'statistical reality' single moms face. How are his numbers?
03/04/2011 06:34 pm