Economist Ha-Joon Chang wrote in the Guardian, that we should not ignore the structural problems in the economy that underlie poverty. The chief ideas:
Ha-Joon Chang is author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism. (review here).
A couple of specific-to-America commentaries:
4 Things Politicians Will Never Understand About Poor People.
4 Bogus Right-Wing Theories About Poverty.
...in the past three decades of dominance by free-market ideology, many of us have come to believe in the myth of the individual fully in charge of his/her destiny.....The beauty of this worldview – for those who disproportionately benefit from the current system – is that, by reducing everything down to individuals, it draws people's attention away from the structural causes of poverty and inequality.....But then the end result is the dismantling of a whole set of policies and institutions that help all poor people in the name of punishing the lazy.
Ha-Joon Chang is author of 23 Things They Don't Tell You about Capitalism. (review here).
A couple of specific-to-America commentaries:
4 Things Politicians Will Never Understand About Poor People.
4 Bogus Right-Wing Theories About Poverty.
