Increasing Income for Families in Need Economist Ann Huff Stevens on Poverty
In this video, economist Ann Huff Stevens discusses income
inequality and the lasting effects of poverty during childhood.
In the U.S., she says, part of the challenge is the sense of
shame associated with using public assistance programs. The
Earned Income Tax Credit is an effective anti-poverty program
that overcomes this stigma by rewarding work and transferring
income to needy families through the tax system.
Stevens is a Professor of Economics at UC Davis and Director of
the Center for Poverty Research. She also serves as Interim Dean
of the Graduate School of Management. She studies low income
workers and labor markets, the incidence and effects of job loss,
connections between economic shocks and health, and poverty and
safety-net dynamics.
Transitions into and out of poverty often happen after major
events such as marriage, divorce, or changes in income. They are
also associated with economic factors, such as unemployment rates
or wages.
This special podcast report describes a new study by center
director Ann Stevens and graduate student affiliate Chloe East
that examines how many workers at or near the minimum wage still
rely on safety net programs to help their families get by.
Listen now.
