The Institution for Research on Poverty hosted a webinar on Wednesday, March 20, 2024 entitled “Interrupting Intergenerational Poverty: New Research And Recommendations For Policy and Practice”. The panelists included Greg Ducan from University of California, Irvine, Mary E. Pattillo from Northwestern University, Michael R. Strain from American Enterprise Institute, and Rita Hamad from Harvard School of Public Health.
Intergenerational poverty was first defined as, “a situation in which children who grow up in families with incomes below the poverty line are themselves poor as adults”. In order to get a full grasp on everything that plays a role in intergenerational poverty seven key drivers were identified and discussed: Children’s Education and the Education System; Child Health and the Health Care System; Family Income and Wealth and Parental Employment; Family Structure; Housing, Residential Mobility, and Neighborhood Conditions; Neighborhood Safety and the Criminal Justice System; and Child Maltreatment and the Child Welfare System
There was also a discussion with a focus on the racial disparities, specifically with Black and Native Americans. The historical context is extremely important in order to understand why these disparities continue to exist. Some of the examples here included, forced migration, land theft, legalized racial discrimination, and labor exploitation. The seven key drivers were also identified as areas where disparities are seen, such as exclusionary school discipline or greater rates of exposure to community violence.
Throughout the webinar there were programs and policies that have been identified as working. Such as, wraparound services and scaling back juvenile confinement. In his closing remarks, Strain called for action for more resources in order to help better understand the issue of intergenerational poverty and help lift people out of poverty.
By Carlin Whalen, Policy Intern
