Topic: Poverty & Economic Inequality
Why Are More Schools Going After Families for Lunch Debt?
More than 75 percent of school districts reported school lunch debt in the previous school year, and 40 percent say their debt is growing.
The Trump Administration Admits Its Change to SNAP Eligibility Could Worsen Food Insecurity for Millions of People
The rule would slash benefits for those families that do not quite meet the program's poverty threshold, but are still food insecure.
What Question Should We Investigate About Food Insecurity?
You asked, we listened. Now it's time to choose which story you want to see first.
What the Research Says About a $15 Minimum Wage
The House voted to raise the federal minimum wage, but the bill will face opposition in the Republican-controlled Senate.
A Report on 'Killer Heat' Reiterates How Climate Change Puts Vulnerable Populations at the Greatest Risk
The Union of Concerned Scientists warns that extreme heat days will become more frequent and severe if carbon emissions continue at current levels.
Should Millennials Blame Boomers for Economic Woes? A New Book Says Yes.
A new book blames the Baby Boomers for Millennials' economic woes—and lets Reagan off the hook.
What the Attention Economy Does to Workers—and How It Drives America Insane
Two new books argue that the attention economy is unsustainable—for people, and for the planet.
To Save a Neighborhood, Ban a Dollar Store?
Some local governments are hoping that, once dollar stores are banned, grocery stores will come to food deserts.
The USDA Gives Fewer Loans to Women and Minority Farmers, a Government Watchdog Finds
Women and minority farmers and ranchers receive disproportionately less credit than their white male counterparts.
The Young Hands That Feed Us
An estimated 524,000 children work unimaginably long hours in America's grueling agricultural fields, and it's all perfectly legal.
Only One in Seven Eligible Kids Get Free Lunch in the Summer. What's Going Wrong?
Food insecurity increases in the summer, but providers who want to get free meals to kids say they're restricted by an onerous and outdated program.
West Virginia Will Now Provide Free Community College Tuition If Students Can Pass a Drug Test
The program is the first in the country to introduce drug testing as an eligibility requirement.
Working Even a Few Hours a Week Boosts Mental and Emotional Health
An innovative new study suggests that the benefits of employment should be shared widely, even in a future where jobs are scarce.
It's Not 'Despair' That's Killing Working-Class Americans; It's Hard Work and Poverty
New research casts doubt on the trendy diagnosis of "hopelessness."
Half of College Students Are Food Insecure. Are Universities Doing Enough to Help Them?
As more students search for their next meal, there's increasing demand for programs that go beyond the food pantry.
Bernie's Big Speech Argued That Democratic Socialism Is the Only Path to Freedom
On Wednesday, Sanders picked up the mantle from FDR, arguing that only democratic socialism can provide true freedom—and a bulwark against despotism.
Millennials Are No More Tolerant—or Broke—Than Earlier Generations
A big new report debunks a number of generational clichés about Millennials—but emphasizes the economic struggles they still face.
College Students Are Going Hungry
A new report finds that around half of all college students fear running out of food before having the money to buy more.
In 'Dignity,' Chris Arnade Offers an Empathetic Study of Trump's America
Arnade demonstrates the virtues of a journalism based on empathy. But he also shows that empathy alone is insufficient without a sharper historical and political analysis.
New Research Shows SNAP Recipients Are a Benefit to—Not a Drain on—Rural Economies
The roughly 40 million Americans who use food assistance programs are also helping to create jobs.
How Trump's Latest Crackdown on Public Benefits Fits Into His Immigration Plans
A new memo could have a chilling effect on both family-based immigration and participation in public-benefit programs.
Viewfinder: McDonald's Workers Strike For Higher Wages
People gather to ask the McDonald’s corporation to raise workers' wages to a $15 minimum wage as well as demand the right to a union on May 23rd, 2019, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
As More Americans Are Being Lifted Out of Poverty, the Racial Wealth Gap Persists
An annual Federal Reserve Board report found that more Americans are financially secure in 2018. Most of them are white.
'There's No Fish to Catch': Global Warming Upends Traditional Livelihoods in Sri Lanka
Two separate studies highlight Sri Lanka's increased risk to changing weather patterns that are driving extensive changes in both living standards and livelihoods.