Although child poverty rates have fallen by half in the past 50
years, 13% of U.S. children (9.7 million in all) live in families
with incomes below the poverty line. Drawing from a recently
released National Academy report on child poverty, I briefly
summarize causal evidence on the consequences of poverty for
children’s development as well as research on the impacts of
anti-poverty programs such as food stamps and the Earned Income
Tax Credit on development.
