Introduction

Sociologist Matthew Desmond says ending poverty is a goal that should and could be in our reach. His new book, Poverty by America, explains that poverty continues to exist because the rest of our society benefits from it. Why does a country as wealthy as the United States have so many living and poverty? The reasons are predatory financial services, stagnant wages, rising housing costs,. And there's another reason why poverty grows so persistently here because those who are better off benefit from it.