TY  - JOUR
AU  - Hoynes,Hilary
AU  - Page,Marianne
AU  - Stevens,Ann
TI  - Poverty in America: Trends and Explanations
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 11681
PY  - 2005
Y2  - October 2005
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11681
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w11681.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Hilary W. Hoynes
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
One Shields Ave.
Davis, CA  95616-8578
Tel: 530/564-0505
Fax: 530/752-9382
E-Mail: hwhoynes@ucdavis.edu

Marianne E. Page
Department of Economics
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA  95616-8578
Tel: 530-554-4940
Fax: NA
E-Mail: mepage@ucdavis.edu

Ann Huff Stevens
Department of Economics
One Shields Avenue
University of California, Davis
Davis, CA  95616
Tel: 530/752-3034
E-Mail: annstevens@ucdavis.edu
AB  - Despite robust growth in real per capita GDP over the last three decades, the U.S. poverty rate has changed very little. In an effort to better understand this disconnect, we document and quantify the relationship between poverty and four different factors that may affect poverty and its evolution over time: labor market opportunities, family structure, anti-poverty programs, and immigration. We find that the relationship between the macro-economy and poverty has weakened over time. Nevertheless, changes in labor market opportunities predict changes in the poverty rate rather well. We also find that changes in female labor supply should have reduced poverty, but was counteracted by an increase in the rate of female headship. Changes in the number and composition of immigrants and changes in the generosity of anti-poverty programs seem to have had little effect.
ER  -