Government programs like SNAP have been more effective than the nation’s economy at lifting people out of poverty, according to a new study by Columbia University researchers. The safety net, according to their research, helped the poverty rate decline from 26% in 1967 to 16% in 2012. During the recent recession, these programs helped keep the poverty rate from increasing, through increased availability of SNAP, enhanced unemployment benefits, and tax credits for the poor, in spite of a massive increase in unemployment. While the government has helped keep poverty at bay, the economy by itself has failed to improve the lives of the very poor over the past 50 years. Without taking into account the role of government policy, more Americans—29%—would be in poverty today, compared with 27% in 1967.
Source: Washington Post, 12/9/13, Safety Net Works
No comments:
Post a Comment