Recent social policy discourses in Aotearoa New Zealand focus on vulnerable children's well-being and the detrimental, long-term and costly impacts of child poverty. The discourse pervading much of the policy labels children and young people as "vulnerable" or "at risk" or "in crisis", a view, which we argue, is both…

This article presents an interview with Alice G. Dewey, professor emeritus at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa and granddaughter of the renowned American philosopher John Dewey. She is an economic anthropologist who did ground-breaking research on local markets in Indonesia in the 1950s. She recently co-edited "Surviving Against the Odds:…

The first thing many learn about international poverty measurement is that European nations apply a "relative" poverty threshold and that they also do a better job of reducing poverty. Unlike the European model, the "absolute" U.S. poverty threshold does not increase in real value when the nation's standard of living rises,…

This article presents an interview with Ray Landers, the 2009 MetLife NASSP Middle Level Principal of the Year. Landers talks about how he and his staff members put programs in place to erase poverty gap at his school. He stresses the need to make sure that principals empower teachers so that collaborative decision making can take place.

This contribution suggests that if we are serious about adult education in the context of poverty eradication we require some shifts away from neo-liberal assumptions and values. Women and/in the informal economy should become the central focus, and livelihood studies would better allow us to understand the complex daily struggle for food and the…

This commentary asks some critical questions concerning the article "Management Education and the Base of the Pyramid" included in this special issue. Are "bottom of the pyramid" (BOP) multidisciplinary action project (MAP) students prepared to critically assess the impact of their interventions beyond a narrow definition of profit in complex and…

This commentary contrasts "Piercing the Bubble" by proposing "pull" (rather than "push") strategies as a way for business schools to more meaningfully engage poverty and social exclusion. By reframing poverty issues in such a manner that they connect with core business student interests of career opportunities, current management practices, and…

Suggests adding poetry instruction to the Children's Defense Fund, a fund created to ensure that poor children get the basic necessities of life--food, healthcare, and education. Talks about the influence that Langston Hughes, a poet who lived in Harlem, had on the first author. Encourages students to avoid living other people's answers and to…

Discusses various viewpoints on poverty. Contrasts progressive-era politics with today's dependency politics. Differing views of the poor and the causes of poverty impede the implementation of the new paternalistic programs which have, in some places, begun to succeed. Urges a consensus. (DM)

The author discusses the work of the International Council for Adult Education in the areas of poverty, development, and international aid. Development, he contends, serves only to widen the gap between the haves and have-nots. He presents a concept of adult education that he believes may remedy the situation. (CH)

The working poor are employable people who have found low-paying jobs and barely scrape out a living. By removing many forms of federal aid, the Reagan administration has locked the working poor into poverty. In saving a few dollars today, we are penalizing the next generation. (CS)

Discusses problems that social scientists face when evaluating social programs, including cost, methodological concerns, and the development and application of new analytical techniques. (GC)

Rural development is broader than just agriculture. Farm policy cannot solve rural community problems. Rural problems are sufficiently unique to require special emphasis and special programs. Since rural development has a broader focus than the local community, its problems need to be addressed by all levels of government as well as the private…

Society's preference for dependency reduction over poverty reduction in dealing with the lower classes stands in the way of greater anti-poverty impact of social policy. Discusses four approaches to poverty policy, their effectiveness, and the poverty assumptions they are based on. Examines why a workfare strategy could be effective. (PS)

This paper suggests that the relationship between women and the welfare state is shaped by a "family ethic" that in many ways parallels the work ethic known to shape the relationship between the welfare state and men. The family ethic is defined and applied to major income maintenance programs. (Author/MH)