Listen "The Roots of Poverty in America"
Episode Synopsis
The United States is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet over 10 percent of people – nearly 40 million – live in poverty. It's something we see, say, if we live near a tent encampment. And it's also something we feel. More than a third of people in the U.S. say they're worried about being able to pay their rent or mortgage. Medical bills and layoffs can change a family's economic status almost overnight.These issues are on the minds of Democrats and Republicans, city-dwellers and rural households. And in an election year, they're likely to be a major factor when people cast their votes for President.In this episode, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning author and sociologist Matthew Desmond, whose book Poverty, By America, helps explain why poverty persists in the United States, how it's holding all of us back, and what it means to be a poverty abolitionist.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
More episodes of the podcast Throughline
Throughline Dances
29/10/2025
The Internet Under the Sea
23/10/2025
The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
16/10/2025
A History of Hamas
09/10/2025
From the Frontlines
02/10/2025
Throughline Sleeps
30/09/2025
The Anti-Vaccine Movement
25/09/2025
The Business of Migrant Detention
18/09/2025
Line. Fence. Wall.
11/09/2025
ICE
04/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.