Poverty in the United States Explained

Elizabeth Kneebone writes an article to illuminate a pressing policy issue that was largely absent from discussion on the campaign trail this year: poverty. Regardless of that lack of conversation, according to Courtin, "both parties do have some serious ideas about how to combat poverty."

Kneebone describes the two very different poverty approaches from each party:

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has put forward a policy agenda that includes proposals such as increasing affordable housing options, addressing persistently poor places, and expanding tax credits for working families with children. While Donald Trump has yet to provide specifics on his antipoverty ideas, a proposed Republican playbook on poverty, opportunity, and upward mobility can be found in House Speaker Paul Ryan’s Better Way policy agenda, announced earlier this summer. The two agendas represent distinct visions of an antipoverty/pro-opportunity federal policy agenda and highlight potential elements ripe for bipartisan debate and action.

Following that explanation of the political parties' approach to poverty, Kneebone takes a deep dive into the existing data on poverty. The data reveals some surprising narratives and breaks down into a series of data-rich maps and infographics.