Tag Poverty
UW experts: Census Bureau’s annual ‘poverty numbers’ provide good news
The new "poverty numbers" from the U.S. Census Bureau reflect some good news for the nation's antipoverty efforts, according to UW–Madison experts. Read More
Professor studies impact of Chicago gang violence
Robert Vargas, an assistant professor of sociology at UW–Madison, didn’t set out to study gang violence in impoverished Chicago neighborhoods, but once he saw its power over the community, he quickly shifted his area of research. Read More
Professor wins national honor for expanding access to education
She may be an expert on Jane Austen and 19th century literature, but University of Wisconsin–Madison English Professor Emily Auerbach's real passion is helping people use education as a springboard out of poverty. Read More
How do lawyers matter? Study explores the question for low-income litigants
For every 6,415 people in the United States who qualify for legal aid (income at or below 125 percent of the poverty line), there is one legal aid attorney, leaving about three-quarters of low-income civil litigants in the United States unrepresented and creating an increasingly prevalent situation that some call a "justice gap." Read More
Annual poverty report shows economy improving, but support programs still needed
The good news is that jobs, earnings and wages are beginning to rise again in Wisconsin as the economy slowly climbs back from the recession, according to an annual in-depth study of poverty in Wisconsin conducted by researchers at the Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Single mothers don’t delay marriage just to boost tax credit, study says
When the Earned Income Tax Credit was expanded in 1993, supporters hoped it would reward poor parents for working while critics feared that it might discourage single mothers from marrying or incentivize women to have more children to boost their tax refund. Read More
Blank honored by Belgian university for poverty research
University of Wisconsin–Madison Chancellor Rebecca Blank has received an honorary doctorate from the University of Antwerp in ceremonies held in Belgium, today, Wednesday, April 2. Read More
War on Poverty anniversary leads to release of national poverty report card
Income inequality is on the rise, according to a national report card co-authored by Timothy Smeeding, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Poverty influences children’s early brain development
Poverty may have direct implications for important, early steps in the development of the brain, saddling children of low-income families with slower rates of growth in two key brain structures, according to researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Read More
Speaker to share how distrust contributes to poverty
Many of the issues associated with poverty in the United States are obvious, such as unemployment, single-parent families and declining wages for less-educated workers. But Temple University sociologist Judith Levine uncovered another, less obvious issue that contributes to poverty: distrust. Read More
Study to compare Wisconsin and Illinois legal access for poor
Does a parent who faces jail time for falling behind on child support payments have the right to a court-appointed attorney? Read More
UW institute announces National Poverty Fellows Program
A new National Poverty Fellows Program, administered at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will launch a search this fall for talented postdoctoral researchers to participate in a partnership to build capacity to conduct high-quality, policy-relevant research on poverty and inequality in the United States. Read More