On The Daily Show last night, John Stewart interviewed economist Jeffrey Sachs. Check it out: I look forward to reading Jeffery Sachs new book, Common Wealth: Economics for a Crowded Planet. Regarding the interview, I like that he empathizes the connection between poverty and wasteful, destructive militarism. Also, I like that he basically says that […]
Author Archives: Scott Hughes
Why the Poorest Countries are Failing
Oxford University economist Professor Paul Collier’s book about poverty has won the prestigious Lionel Gelber Prize for 2008. The book’s title explains its subject rather well: The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries are Failing and What Can Be Done About It According to the description, the book investigates and attempts to explain why traditional […]
Recession and Poverty
The National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) determines when the United States is in a recession. However, the group usually does not make the determination until 6 to 18 months after we enter a recession. Generally, economists define a recession as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction. Using that definition, a recession would not become […]
Poverty and the Expensive War on Drugs
In his song Changes, Tupac Shakur said, “Instead of a war on poverty, they got a war on drugs so the police can bother me.” That powerful line has always stuck with me. I believe we, the people of in society, can end poverty whenever we decide to end it. However, we generally rely on […]
Localized Poverty Tour
I often stress the importance of using grassroots organizations to alleviate poverty on a local level. Local organizations understand the local community and can meet the local community’s specific needs. Unfortunately, most communities have become too passive about poverty. Almost all people realize they would rather live in a world without poverty, but they do […]
Fight Poverty with Student Loans for Young Kids
On this blog, I often stress the importance of using education in efforts to alleviate poverty. Education puts people on a healthy path, giving them self-esteem and self-respect. Quality education gives people the skills and credentials to support themselves and their families. Today, I want to point out that we need to make sure children […]