Presenters: Timothy Smeeding, Director, Institute for Research on Poverty; and Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics, Robert M. La Follette School of Public Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Madison; and Kathleen Short, Economist, Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division, U.S. Census Bureau.
Timothy Smeeding

Although many policymakers and practitioners are familiar with the basics of poverty measurement, the complexity of this topic offers a number of challenges for someone trying to make sense of the level and trend of poverty. In this webinar, two distinguished experts in the field will explain the various types of poverty measures and will contrast the “official” U.S. poverty measure with the newer Supplemental Poverty Measure or SPM. The presenters will talk about the development of state poverty measures and the benefits they can offer in understanding poverty at the local and regional level. Finally, Short and Smeeding will touch on recent research on poverty measurement and take questions from the online audience.