Subsidized Housing and the Concentration of Poverty, 1977–2008: A Comparison of Eight U.S. Metropolitan Areas

This paper examines the link between subsidized housing and the concentration of poverty. I use newly available data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development that extends from the earliest years of subsidized housing reform to the present day. I find that substantial changes in the poverty rate of neighborhoods occurred predominantly in census tracts that experienced more than a 5 percent increase or decrease in their share of subsidized units, indicating that more subsidized housing is associated with greater poverty. However, the increase in the poverty rate of neighborhoods that experienced more than a 5 percent increase in either building–based or voucher units was due to the movement of poor subsidized individuals into those neighborhoods rather than changes in the poverty rate of individuals who do not live in subsidized housing.

The Concentration of Poverty Within Metropolitan Areas

Not only has poverty recently increased in the United States, it has also become more concentrated. This Commentary documents changes in the concentration of poverty in metropolitan areas over the last decade. The analysis shows that the concentration of poverty tends to be highest in northern cities, and that wherever overall poverty or unemployment rates went up the most over the course of the decade, the concentration of poverty tended to increase there as well.

Ejaz Ghani (ed.). The Poor Half Billion in South Asia: What is Holding Back Lagging Regions? New Delhi: Oxford University Press. 2010. Hardbound. 339 pages. Rs 795.00.

South Asia portrays an interesting paradox; it is the second fastest growing region in the world, yet the region has high concentration of poverty and is home to dismal social outcomes, conflicts and gender disparities. South Asia in fact is a land of two highly diverse regions; ‘Asia Shinning’ and ‘Asia Suffering’. The disparity between the two areas as lagging and leading regions is so sharp that these seem to be anchored in two different centuries. The richer region has experienced stupendous growth, due to its economic geography, globalisation and growth-promoting institutions while the limited growth potential of the poorer region has been further compounded by the weak capacity of the state to deliver social services. The question then is what should be done to address the gigantic task of poverty alleviation and take up the challenges posed by the concentration of poverty. What should be done and what the public policy can do? With a focus on this contrast as seen in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, the essays in this volume put into perspective the colossal task of poverty eradication and inclusive growth. The research studies included in this book not only provide fresh perspective on spatial disparities but also offer innovative, short-term as well as long-term, policy solutions to escape the poverty trap.