Busting Myths about Poverty: A Conversation w/ Mark Rank

Good Law | Bad Law

Aaron Freiwald, Managing Partner of Freiwald Law and host of the weekly podcast, Good Law | Bad Law, is joined by author and professor, Mark Robert Rank, of Washington University in St. Louis, to discuss poverty, the myths surrounding economic inequality and myth perpetuation, the notion of hard work, and effective approaches to “fixing” our poverty problem. Aaron and Mark also discuss Professor Rank’s newest co-authored book on the topic, Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty.

Why does poverty exist in the United States? Mark and Aaron delve into this question and others as they try to tackle the myths, rhetoric and complexities of poverty in the United States. Touching on demography, stereotypes, infrastructure, jobs, Presidential administrations, and more, Aaron and Mark break down what it is that people need to know about poverty in the U.S., what the solutions might be, and what the cost, reach, and impact of poverty is on all of us. What are the myths of poverty? Who benefits from perpetuating these myths? And how do we better understand such a nuanced issue?

The Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare, Dr. Rank is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts and speakers in the country on issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice. His research and teachings focus on poverty, social welfare, economic inequality, social policy and demography. His life-course research has demonstrated for the first time that a majority of Americans will experience poverty and will use a social safety net program at some point during their lives.

Dr. Rank has published numerous scholarly articles and several author books; his first book, Living on the Edge: The Realities of Welfare in America, explores the conditions of surviving on public assistance and his 2004 book, One Nation, Underprivileged: Why American Poverty Affects Us All, provided a new understanding of poverty in America. Dr. Rank’s research has been reported in a wide range of media outlets including, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Chronical of Higher Education, among others. He has provided his research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as to many national and state organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice.

Listen now!

To learn more about Professor Rank, please visit his bio here.

To check out Professor Rank’s newest book, Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty, please click here.

To check out Mark’s recent Washington Post article, “Five myths about poverty,” please click here.

Host: Aaron Freiwald

Guest: Mark Robert Rank

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