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| Understanding Poverty Resources and Research Centers The wide variety of books, articles and Web sites below will help deepen your understanding of poverty and your ability to combat it.
Reading List
Rank, Mark Robert, One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects All of Us. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
This excellent introductory work describes and explains poverty in a clear and insightful way. Well written and well researched.
Ehrenreich, Barbara, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. New York: Henry Holt and Co., 2001.
A New York Times best seller. It’s a story in which the author went “undercover” to find out what the world of work is like in low paying jobs such as a waitress, a maid, a dishwasher and a Walmart employee. Excellent description of the harsh reality of low-wage jobs in America.
O’Connor, Alice, Poverty Knowledge: Social Science, Social Policy, and the Poor in Twentieth Century U.S. History.
Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
A very thorough historical analysis of poverty in America and the study of poverty during the past century. The author describes the different schools of thought about poverty and how these various ideas affected political parties and political leaders. This is a detailed work, not for those looking for a quick read.
Catholic Charities USA, Poverty in America: A Threat to the Common Good. Washington, D.C., 2006.
A policy paper of Catholic Charities USA, the national association of Catholic Charities agencies. The paper includes of summary of themes from Catholic Social Teaching relevant to this topic, and it describes the reality of poverty as seen by Catholic Charities’ staff across the country. It calls for setting a national goal of cutting national poverty rates in half by 2020.
Economic Policy Institute, Hardships in America: The Real Story of Working Families. Washington, D.C., 2001.
This book proposes a "basic family budget" for families. This budget is the amount of income a family requires to afford a safe and decent standard of living in the U.S. It then examines the hardships families face when they fail to reach these budget levels. Note that the numbers in this book are based on costs in 2001, so they would be significantly higher in 2010.
Organizations Advocating on Poverty Issues View and download an extended list of local and statewide organizations working to fight poverty.
Important Links on Poverty Research and Action - U.S. Census Bureau pages on poverty — The official source for poverty data in the U.S.
- National Center for Children in Poverty — An excellent resource on poverty in general, with a special focus on children in poverty.
- Jobs Now Coalition — An excellent source for current data on jobs and wages in Minnesota. Don't miss their "Wage and Budget Calculator." It will calculate the actual family expenses required to live a minimally decent life in the Twin Cities and the state. You pick the family size and make-up and it calculates the costs instantly.
- Children's Defense Fund — A well-known national resource on children in poverty. Information and action opportunities for those with a particular interest in poverty among children. View their Minnesota office Web site.
Research Centers on Poverty
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