Beyond The Myths: A Clearer Path To U.S. Poverty Alleviation
Posted by Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity on December 9, 2025
In a new paper published by the Aspen Economic Strategy Group, Melissa S. Kearney and James Sullivan reassess poverty trends, policy responses and common misperceptions about the fight to reduce income inequality in the United States. Kearney is the Gilbert F. Schaefer Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame and also director of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group. Sullivan is a Professor of Economics at Notre Dame and also the co-founder and Director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), a research center that works with service providers and policymakers to identify effective and scalable solutions to reduce poverty in America.
In Spotlight’s latest exclusive, we interview Sullivan about the new paper and the lessons it offers policymakers. “Our overarching prescription is that the key is in investing in people,” Sullivan said. “We make a point that it is a bit defeatist to say, well, people can never do it on their own, so we should just give them cash. It’s very clear that not everybody has equal opportunities to invest in the skills necessary to thrive in today’s economy, and so we need to give them a chance. We need to invest in people in many different ways.”
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