Identifying the Disadvantaged: Official Poverty, Consumption Poverty, and the New Supplemental Poverty Measure

摘要

Few economic indicators are more closely watched or more important for policy than the official poverty rate. It is used to gauge the extent of deprivation in the United States and to determine how economic well-being has changed over time. The poverty rate is often cited by policymakers, researchers, and advocates who are evaluating social programs that account for more than half a trillion dollars in government spending.