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Poverty

Our coverage of poverty in America, which policies help reduce it, and why it’s so hard to achieve economic mobility.

The controversial anti-poverty solution coming to public schoolsThe controversial anti-poverty solution coming to public schools
Poverty

The “success sequence” has many critics, but lawmakers and parents don’t seem to care.

By Rachel Cohen
How commerce became our most powerful tool against global povertyHow commerce became our most powerful tool against global poverty
Good News

The inconvenient truth about trade.

By Bryan Walsh
We’ll miss globalism when it’s goneWe’ll miss globalism when it’s gone
Future Perfect

Remember when elites cared about the rest of the world?

By Dylan Matthews
The attack on USAID portends a war on the welfare stateThe attack on USAID portends a war on the welfare state
Policy

The effort to dismantle USAID tells us a lot about what programs Republicans tend to think of as “wasteful spending.”

By Abdallah Fayyad
One reason it’s harder to escape poverty in AmericaOne reason it’s harder to escape poverty in America
Policy

Poor kids in the US are likely to become poor adults. More government support during adulthood could change that.

By Abdallah Fayyad
This obscure budget procedure could be Trump’s biggest weaponThis obscure budget procedure could be Trump’s biggest weapon
Trump 2.0, explained

How Trump could attempt to cut Medicaid, school funding, and more — without Congress.

By Dylan Matthews
How we measure poverty matters — and we can do betterHow we measure poverty matters — and we can do better
Policy

The official US poverty rate is based on an outdated metric.

By Abdallah Fayyad
The best thing that Joe Biden didThe best thing that Joe Biden did
Future Perfect

The administration’s biggest achievement is something that almost no one has heard about.

By Dylan Matthews
The 10(ish) most read Future Perfect stories of 2024The 10(ish) most read Future Perfect stories of 2024
Future Perfect

Why young people are getting cancer, problems with OpenAI, and the little intelligence agency that could.

By Bryan Walsh
The problem with US charity is that it’s not effective enoughThe problem with US charity is that it’s not effective enough
Future Perfect

The New York Times painted a misleading picture. Less than 0.2 percent of US charity is ruthlessly optimized.

By Dylan Matthews
I got malaria on purpose and so can youI got malaria on purpose and so can you
Future Perfect

We need new malaria drugs — so I spent a year as a guinea pig.

By Dylan Matthews
Chef José Andrés knows how to feed people in a crisis
Future Perfect

From Gaza to Asheville to Valencia, the celebrity chef understands

By Izzie Ramirez
Trump proposed big Medicaid and food stamp cuts. Can he pass them?Trump proposed big Medicaid and food stamp cuts. Can he pass them?
Trump 2.0, explained

What Trump’s return means for America’s poor people.

By Dylan Matthews
Why some economists are skeptical of this year’s NobelistsWhy some economists are skeptical of this year’s Nobelists
Future Perfect

Did they actually figure out why nations fail?

By Dylan Matthews
What if you can’t afford to flee a hurricane?What if you can’t afford to flee a hurricane?
Climate

Evacuating during a climate disaster is necessary. It’s also incredibly expensive.

By Whizy Kim
America keeps choosing poverty — but it doesn’t have toAmerica keeps choosing poverty — but it doesn’t have to
Policy

Within Our Means is a newsletter about ending poverty in America.

By Abdallah Fayyad
In defense of the washing machineIn defense of the washing machine
Future Perfect

Rich people debate washing machines for fun. But for billions of poor people, the debate really matters.

By Kelsey Piper
Do the benefits of the expanded child tax credit actually fade with time?Do the benefits of the expanded child tax credit actually fade with time?
Future Perfect

A new study argues the long-run benefits outweigh the costs nearly 10 to 1.

By Oshan Jarow
Shrinking the economy won’t save the planetShrinking the economy won’t save the planet
Future Perfect

561 research papers in, the case for degrowth is still weak.

By Kelsey Piper
More than 4 billion people don’t have access to clean water at homeMore than 4 billion people don’t have access to clean water at home
Future Perfect

Researchers wildly underestimated how many people don’t have safe drinking water.

By Celia Ford
Bangladesh’s prime minister just fled the country in a helicopter. Why?Bangladesh’s prime minister just fled the country in a helicopter. Why?
World Politics

Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina is out. What comes next?

By Ellen Ioanes
What a big experiment giving money to parents revealsWhat a big experiment giving money to parents reveals
Future Perfect

Giving people cash makes them less poor. It doesn’t fix everything.

By Dylan Matthews
What Kenya’s deadly protests are really aboutWhat Kenya’s deadly protests are really about
World Politics

A proposed tax hike sparked unrest, but Kenya’s real problem is a debt crisis.

By Ellen Ioanes
Congress can’t get anything done. Except on foreign aid.Congress can’t get anything done. Except on foreign aid.
Future Perfect

Major reform on how the US gives money to other countries is breezing through the House with bipartisan support.

By Dylan Matthews
How Congress is planning to lift 400,000 kids out of povertyHow Congress is planning to lift 400,000 kids out of poverty
Future Perfect

We’re not bringing back the extended child tax credit. But this deal is better than nothing.

By Dylan Matthews
The first results from the world’s biggest basic income experimentThe first results from the world’s biggest basic income experiment
Future Perfect

Money always helps, but for the very poor, one lump sum can last a long time.

By Dylan Matthews
Aisha Nyandoro is making guaranteed income a reality in Mississippi
The 2023 Future Perfect 50

Nyandoro’s program takes aim at generational poverty in Jackson, Mississippi.

By Sigal Samuel
Paul Niehaus is changing how we think about fighting global poverty
The 2023 Future Perfect 50

After founding GiveDirectly, Niehaus is pushing the frontiers of social science research.

By Dylan Matthews
Giving Tuesday 2019: news and updatesGiving Tuesday 2019: news and updates
Future Perfect

Why Giving Tuesday started, and how to make an impact with your donations.

By Vox Staff
We’ve been fighting poverty all wrongWe’ve been fighting poverty all wrong
Future Perfect

The success of the expanded child tax credit shows why anti-poverty programs should be unconditional.

By Oshan Jarow
One stat that could spur a compromise on the child tax creditOne stat that could spur a compromise on the child tax credit
Future Perfect

Congress is closer to giving cash to the poorest kids than you think.

By Dylan Matthews
Basic income is less radical than you thinkBasic income is less radical than you think
Future Perfect

A world with basic income is one of less poverty and higher taxes, not utopia or collapse.

By Oshan Jarow
Human progress has come at the expense of animals. It doesn’t have to.Human progress has come at the expense of animals. It doesn’t have to.
Future Perfect

Add in the extreme suffering of tens of billions of farmed animals, and suddenly the world looks like a much darker place.

By Bryan Walsh
Governments once imagined a future without extreme poverty. What happened?Governments once imagined a future without extreme poverty. What happened?
Future Perfect

As the UN meets in New York, progress and energy around the Sustainable Development Goals is dwindling at the worst possible time.

By Bryan Walsh
We cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever beforeWe cut child poverty to historic lows, then let it rebound faster than ever before
Future Perfect

The expanded child tax credit was a well-tested solution to child poverty. Bring it back.

By Oshan Jarow
The US hired a leading economist to fix how it allocates foreign aid. Here’s his plan.The US hired a leading economist to fix how it allocates foreign aid. Here’s his plan.
Future Perfect

Dean Karlan explains his plan to get USAID to take evidence more seriously.

By Dylan Matthews
Lots of Americans are in the global 1%. A tenth of their income could transform the world.Lots of Americans are in the global 1%. A tenth of their income could transform the world.
Future Perfect

How people like you could wipe out extreme poverty and prevent the next pandemic.

By Sigal Samuel
Poverty is a major public health crisis. Let’s treat it like one.Poverty is a major public health crisis. Let’s treat it like one.
Future Perfect

Poverty contributes to hundreds of thousands of American deaths a year, a recent study finds.

By Oshan Jarow
How abortion bans will strain an already failing foster systemHow abortion bans will strain an already failing foster system
Future Perfect

Poor families are more likely to be separated by the government. The Dobbs decision will make it worse.

By Miranda Dixon-Luinenburg
What a landmark new study on homelessness tells usWhat a landmark new study on homelessness tells us
Housing

How homeless people in California lost their homes, and how they cope.

By Rachel Cohen
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