Throwing money at the problem won’t work. In fact, it can make matters worse. Some major charities unwittingly undermine local markets by temporarily flooding them with low-priced goods. For example, by flooding a market with free or under-priced food, the local farmers and food sellers can’t compete and go out of business. Thus it goes […]
Monthly Archives: August 2007
West Bank Poverty Spawns Child Beggars
Laurie Copoans recently wrote an article about how West Bank poverty spawns child beggars. I include an excerpt: Israel’s massive barrier of walls and fences separating it from the West Bank has made it harder for adult laborers to enter Israel, so families wracked by poverty are increasingly sending their children instead. Children as young […]
Customers Have No Money
Shockingly, big companies like Walmart and Home Depot have announced low sales and financial losses. The reason? They say that their customers do not have enough money to spend. Inflation, high interest rates, and a failing housing market have taken away middle class America’s spending money, and may mark an oncoming economic recession; this in […]
A Future Without Homelessness
An August 8th Boston Globe editorial explored the idea of a future without homelessness. I include an excerpt: WE DON’T have to study homelessness,” state Representative Byron Rushing says of a new state commission that he proposed to address the issue; good research is already available. Instead, the commission has to answer two questions. What […]
Disabled Children Face Poverty
SocietyGuardian.co.uk recently reported that many families with disabled children live in poverty. I include an excerpt: Almost all families with disabled children are suffering from financial difficulties, according to a report published today. Many struggle with the extra costs of raising disabled children, which is calculated to be three times higher than other children, and […]
Crime & Poverty Editorial
A recent Black Star Editorial explores the relationship between crime and poverty. I include an excerpt: There is a perfect correlation between crime and poverty. Much has been written about the recent brutal murders of three college students and the wounding of one other in Newark, New Jersey, by a gunman or gunmen. While some […]