Poverty, Inequality, Mobility, Oh My!

How are families really doing since the Great Recession? That’s a question we’re going to try to answer at an event tomorrow.

 

A flurry of new data are calling attention to the pervasive poverty and growing inequality that are markers of the post-recession economy. According to a recently released supplementary measure from the U.S. Census Bureau, 49.1 million Americans were living in poverty in 2010. The Congressional Budget Office reports the income gains made during times of economic growth were heavily concentrated at the top 1 percent of the distribution scale. While the income picture is bleak, some have countered that trends in mobility, rather than income, are the best indicator of economic health. What about trends in and the impact of wealth inequality? 

Tomorrow we’re going to explore the strengths and weaknesses of these different approaches to learn how families are really doing, and how we might design more effective public policies.

RSVP to join us in person on Tuesday, November 22nd at 3:30pm.

The event will also be webcast live and speakers will be taking questions from our online audience during the event via email and Twitter. Please send questions or comments to emple@newamerica.net or Tweet them @AssetsNAF.