Improving the Measurement of Poverty

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When: Tuesday, December 9, 2008 • 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

Where: The Phoenix Park Hotel: Ballroom • 520 North Capitol St., NW • Washington, DC • spacer Map

Media Inquiries: Karen Anderson • 202-797-6023 • kanderson@brookings.edu

General Inquiries: Kristina Gerken • 202-797-4360 • kgerken@brookings.edu

 
 

In the early 1960s, the Johnson administration created the poverty measure as part of its War on Poverty. More than four decades later, we continue to use essentially the same measure to define poverty despite significant changes in the economy and in household budgets. The result is a measure that does not accurately reflect the level of economic need among American households. And, the measure fails to reflect the effects of many of the nation’s strongest anti-poverty programs.

In a new Hamilton Project Discussion Paper, Rebecca M. Blank of the Brookings Institution and Mark H. Greenberg of Georgetown University propose a new poverty measure that better reflects the actual economic conditions of low-income Americans, based on recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences.

On December 9, The Hamilton Project released the discussion paper and held a policy forum on the need for a new national poverty measure. Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Roger C. Altman, chairman of Evercore Partners, gave welcoming remarks and led the discussion.

Following a brief presentation of the new Hamilton Project discussion paper, Mr. Altman moderated a roundtable discussion among a panel of experts, including Douglas J. Besharov, Jacobs Scholar in Social Welfare Studies with the American Enterprise Institute (AEI); Linda I. Gibbs, Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services in New York City; Nicholas Gwyn, Staff Director for the Income Security and Family Support Subcommittee of the House Ways & Means Committee; and Sharon Parrott, Director of the Welfare Reform and Income Support Division for the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP).

Agenda

Welcome

Roger C. Altman
Evercore Partners

Roundtable Discussion

Douglas J. Besharov
The American Enterprise Institute

Rebecca M. Blank
Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

Linda I. Gibbs
Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services, New York City

Mark H. Greenberg
Georgetown University

Nicholas Gwyn
House Ways & Means Committee, US Congress

Sharon Parrott
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Moderator: Roger C. Altman
Evercore Partners

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Improving the Measurement of Poverty: Transcript

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Improving the Measurement of Poverty: Rebecca M. Bland and Mark H. Greenberg Presentation