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Poverty, by America

byMatthew Desmond

Sociologist Matthew Desmond argues that poverty persists in the United States because many affluent Americans benefit from arrangements that exploit poor people. Low wages, high rents, financial fees, segregated opportunity, tax advantages, and weakened public services transfer resources upward while anti-poverty programs remain fragmented. The book combines research with a moral challenge, rejecting explanations centered solely on individual behavior or insufficient national wealth. Desmond calls for ending exploitation, expanding housing and worker power, and choosing “poverty abolition,” asking readers to recognize their own participation in systems they may publicly condemn.

Publisher

Crown Publishing Group, The

Publication date

2023

Format

Print edition

Pages

—

ISBN

9780593239919