The United States is the richest country on earth, yet has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. In 50 years the number of Americans living in poverty hasn’t shifted, despite the efforts of successive governments and extensive relief programs. Why is there so much scarcity in this land of dollars?

In Poverty, by America, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond examines the nature of American poverty today and the stories we tell ourselves about it. In his wide ranging book, covering racism, mass incarceration, the housing crisis, domestic violence, drug epidemics, welfare cuts and more, Desmond argues that poverty does not result from a lack of resources or good policy ideas. We already know how to eliminate it. The hard part is getting more of us to care enough to change the narrative.

Matthew will be joined in this exclusive conversation by Vicky Spratt, housing correspondent at i newspaper and the author of Tenants: The People on the Frontline of Britain’s Housing Emergency. 

About the author:

Matthew Desmond is the Maurice P. During Professor of Sociology at Princeton and a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine. A MacArthur Fellow, Desmond is a leading expert on poverty, homelessness and public policy. His previous book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award.