10 million People in US Live on Less than $2 a Day

Published in El Mundo
(Spain) on 15 September 2014
by EFE (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Jason Booker. Edited by Bora Mici.
The study shows that the idea that poverty is "marginal" and "temporary" is "erroneous."

Rates of social mobility in the United States are worse than those registered in European countries.
The statistic puts the U.S. behind countries like China, Russia and Thailand.


Almost 10 million people in the United States subsist on less than $2 a day and live on the edges of the economy, assured Laurence Chandy, researcher from the Brookings Institution in Washington.

Chandy explained that when income is taken into account, around 10 million citizens subsist “with practically no money,” thanks to social benefits, such as food stamps or free meals from public schools and charity organizations.

The expert said in an interview that “people who are excluded from the economy” are most vulnerable to unforeseeable changes, such as illness or a death in the family.

Chandy, who has just published a study on the poorest segment of the country’s population, affirmed that “very little is known about the population that subsists beneath the poverty line;” it survives under the shadow of academic studies.

However, “poverty in this country is a latent problem,” with almost 46 million people living beneath the poverty line, set at $16 a day, and around 20 million subsist on less than $8 a day.

“The U.S. is not known for its generosity.”

The peculiarity of the country’s poor, he added, is that “they are able to subsist with almost no income thanks to benefits and social services,” bearing in mind that when compared with European countries, “the U.S. is not known for its generosity regarding public subsidies.”

Developed countries “tend to presume that extreme poverty isn’t a problem that can affect them,” the expert pointed out.

According to the expert, “the political focus concentrates on measures aimed at the middle class,” which contributes to the spread of the idea that poverty is marginal and temporary, and even that “anyone who wants to succeed can succeed.”

It is true that social mobility in the United States has remained “quite low” in the last 50 years, which is quite the contrast to the idealized American dream.

Additionally, social mobility in the country has not only remained low in recent decades, but is also lower than the rates registered in the majority of European countries, Chandy highlighted.

Chandy indicated the need to allocate more resources toward the study of extreme poverty in the United States and the richest segment of the population in developing countries, something that is “barely studied.”

With the aim of initiating public policies to ameliorate the situation of the most disadvantaged citizens, the first step is to learn about their situation and “understand how they are able to subsist on less than 2 dollars a day,” he added.

A comparison of the amount of people who live in extreme poverty around the world, on less than $2 a day, would place the U.S. — Chandy added — behind the urban populations of Argentina, China, Jordan, Russia and Thailand.


Diez millones de personas sobreviven en EEUU con menos de 2 dólares diarios

El estudio demuestra que la idea de que la pobreza es marginal y temporal es "erróna"
La ascensión social en EEUU es peor a los índices registrados en países europeos
La cifra sitúa al país por detrás de países como China, Rusia o Tailandia


Cerca de 10 millones de personas subsisten en Estados Unidos con menos de dos dólares al día y viven al margen de la economía monetaria, aseguró el investigador Laurence Chandy de Brookings Institution en Washington.

Chandy explicó que, cuando se toman en cuenta los ingresos, unos diez millones de ciudadanos subsisten "prácticamente sin dinero" gracias a los beneficios sociales, como los vales de comida o las comidas gratis que se reparten en las escuelas públicas y por las instituciones de beneficencia.

En una entrevista, el experto dijo que "las personas que viven excluidas de la economía del dinero" son las más vulnerables a los imprevistos, como la enfermedad o la muerte de un familiar.

Chandy, que acaba de publicar un estudio acerca del segmento de la población más pobre en el país, afirmó que "se conoce muy poco de la población que subsiste por debajo del umbral de la pobreza", sobreviven en la sombra de los estudios académicos.

Sin embargo, "la pobreza en el país es un problema latente", con cerca a 46 millones de personas que viven bajo del umbral de la pobreza, establecido en 16 dólares diarios, y unos 20 millones que subsisten con menos de 8 dólares al día.
'EEUU no se distingue por su generosidad'

La particularidad de los pobres en el país, agregó, es que "son capaces de subsistir casi sin ingresos gracias a los beneficios y servicios sociales", tomando en cuenta que comparando con países europeos, "Estados Unidos no se distingue por su generosidad en cuanto a los subsidios públicos".

Los países desarrollados "tienden a presuponer que la extrema pobreza no es un problema que los pueda afectar", puntualizó el experto.

Según el experto, "el foco de la atención de la política se centra en medidas destinadas a la clase media", lo que contribuye a popularizar la percepción de que la pobreza es marginal y temporal, y además, "cualquiera que se lo proponga puede alcanzar el éxito".

Lo cierto es que la movilidad social en Estados Unidos se ha mantenido "bastante baja" en los últimos 50 años, lo que contrasta con el idealizado "Sueño Americano".

Asimismo, la ascensión social en el país no solo se ha mantenido baja en las últimas décadas, sino que es menor a los índices registrados en la mayor parte de países europeos, enfatizó Chandy.

Chandy señaló la necesidad de destinar más recursos para estudiar la pobreza extrema en Estados Unidos y la población más rica en los países en desarrollo, de la cual "apenas se estudia".

Con la finalidad de poner en marcha políticas públicas para aliviar la situación de los ciudadanos más desfavorecidos, el primer paso es conocer su situación, y "entender cómo son capaces de subsistir con menos de dos dólares al día", añadió.

Una comparación en cuanto al volumen de personas que viven en extrema pobreza en el mundo, con menos de 2 dólares al año, situaría a EE.UU. -agregó Chandy- por detrás de las población urbana en Argentina, China, Jordania, Rusia o Tailandia.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

Hot this week

United Kingdom: Trump Is Angry with a World That Won’t Give Him Easy Deals

Ukraine: Why Washington Failed To End the Russian Ukrainian War

Germany: NATO Secretary-General Showers Trump with Praise: Seems Rutte Wanted To Keep the Emperor Happy

Ireland: The Irish Times View on Trump vs the Fed: Rocky Times Ahead

Canada: Elbows Down on the Digital Services Tax

Topics

Israel: In Washington, Netanyahu Must Prioritize Bringing Home Hostages before Iran

Ukraine: Why Washington Failed To End the Russian Ukrainian War

United Kingdom: Trump Is Angry with a World That Won’t Give Him Easy Deals

Nigeria: The Global Fallout of Trump’s Travel Bans

Australia: Donald Trump Just Won the Fight To Remake America in 3 Big Ways

Colombia: The Horsemen of the New Cold War

Australia: Australia Is Far from Its Own Zohran Mamdani Moment. Here’s Why

Canada: How Ottawa Gift-Wrapped our Dairy Sector for Trump

Related Articles

Germany: Europe Bending the Knee to Trump

Germany: Can Donald Trump Be Convinced To Remain Engaged in Europe?

Germany: Horror Show in Oval Office at Meeting of Merz and Trump

Canada: No, Joly, We Don’t Want America’s Far-Left Academic Refugees

Mexico: Trump and His Pyrrhic Victories