On this episode of the AEI Events Podcast, AEI’s Robert Doar and Bruce Meyer lead a panel discussion on reexamining the data on extreme poverty.

Dr. Meyer presented his new Comprehensive Income Dataset, which aggregates several different types of survey and administrative data to provide a more accurate picture of the conditions of low-income Americans. He noted that many studies pointing to high amounts of extreme poverty in the United States — characterized by individuals living on less than $2 per day — fail to account for important benefits such as in-kind transfers, public assistance, and unreported earnings. After adjusting for these discrepancies, he finds that extreme poverty is nearly nonexistent in the US. Additionally, Dr. Meyer noted that many families previously counted as poor have actually risen out of poverty entirely.

The panelists commended Dr. Meyer and reaffirmed the importance of the new data set in framing the poverty conversation. Some expressed concern, however, with technicalities of the aggregating process. For instance, while noting the importance of in-kind transfers, Laura Wheaton of the Urban Institute and James Ziliak of the University of Kentucky emphasized how cash transfers can help poor communities. They encouraged policymakers to focus on the practicality of various forms of assistance when designing antipoverty programs.

Transcript

This event took place on July 10, 2018.

Watch the full event here.

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