Poverty is among the most fundamental determinants of child well-being. Decades of rigorous studies illustrate its powerful and lasting effects on health and social outcomes.1 Healthy and capable adults are foundational to any well-functioning society. Intergenerational poverty (in which low-income children remain low-income as adults) places a heavy burden on individuals, families, and society. Although child poverty decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, it more than doubled recently due to expiration of multiple, wide-ranging federal relief programs,2 demonstrating that policies to promote child well-being are effective at reducing poverty. Understanding the causes of intergenerational poverty and implementing programs/policies to reduce it would yield high payoffs for children and the nation. [JAMA Network]
This Viewpoint summarizes a report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released in September 2023 in response to a Congressional mandate to address intergenerational poverty.3 “Reducing Intergenerational Poverty” was written by an interdisciplinary committee of experts and practitioners. It tackles 4 tasks: (1) describing patterns of intergenerational economic mobility, (2) summarizing drivers of intergenerational poverty, (3) identifying policies/programs to reduce intergenerational poverty, and (4) highlighting high-priority gaps in data and research. Across these topics, the committee was encouraged to consider racial or ethnic disparities.
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