How does existing policies deal with proverty?

Answer 1

The U.S. government spends billions of dollars on programs designed to reduce poverty. This money is spent on mainly on cash assistance, education, medical benefits and non cash benefits like food stamps and subsidized housing.

Programs focus on block grants to states, education, medical benefits, and subsidized housing.

Enterprise zones attempt to revitalize inner city areas, while other programs focus on job training.

Answer 2

This is not a question typically answered by economists. Generally, 'doing enough' implies an ideological commitment to an action, which means a government believes a certain level of action is morally correct. However, economics is a science and, as such, does not strictly determine the morality of its analysis, including things such as poverty. Therefore, asking 'is the government doing enough to reduce poverty' is outside the scope of economic theory and lies in the field of ethics, applied public policy, and political philosophy.

A better type of question to ask of economics could include:

1) Is the government efficient in its current poverty policy? This asks whether current poverty reduction is achieving the greatest results given its constraints.

2) How would changes in poverty policy change reductions in poverty? This asks whether changing the current policy will affect current economic outcomes.

3) What is the social welfare redistribution from current poverty policy? This asks how much current poverty policy benefits/costs society.

Answer 3

In the United States there are several types of plans in existence that are geared to help reduce poverty. All of them have are debatable among economists, sociologists and politicians. Here is a brief summary of them and they do not cover antipoverty plans that exist in other nations.

* Minimum wage laws. Increases in the minimum wage that most impoverished people earn provide more income to spend on living necessities;

* Welfare payments. In this case, qualifying recipients receive a monthly check based on several factors such as the size of a family, single parent homes, and the number of children in a family;

* Food Stamps. Here the government seeks to make more food available, and as its only a source for buying food, the problem of funds being used for nonessential items such as alcohol is controlled;

* Negative income tax laws. Here low income families either pay no income taxes or in fact receive a tax credit (cash payment) from the government due to extremely low income;

* Work incentive plans. These plans exist in that in certain cases the income earned from taking a job, is less money than the amount of welfare received for families not working. Incentive plans to different degrees, allow for wages earned not to negatively impact total take home pay;

*Medicare Health Care. Here families below a certain income line can apply for Medicare to pay for doctor's visits; and

* Subsidized housing. Apartment complexes built by the government with low rent requirements or rent subsidies to pay for private housing; and

* Mortgage subsidies. Here the down payment for a home is subsidized bu a government agency. It may also provide for lower monthly mortgage payments or help people in homes to have a reduced mortgage payment plan to avoid losing their home.

Answer 4

They are doing absolutely nothing! according to latest researches!

Answer 5

The current government strategy of poverty alleviation is to expand the economy by creating jobs.