Today, understanding poverty, and particularly child poverty, in America. An expansion of the child tax credit earlier this year shone a bright light on the nature of poverty, particularly among America’s children. The American Rescue Plan raised the maximum child tax credit to $3,000 or $3,600 per kid, depending on age. That\u2019s up from $2,000. In 2021 estimates began to pour in about the number of American children who had been lifted out of poverty. Estimates ranged from 3 million up to a potential of even 5 million. But what was really stunning was the understanding that in America, nearly 11 million children are poor. That\u2019s 1 in 7 kids, who make up almost one-third of all people living in poverty in this country. This number should be unimaginable in one of the world\u2019s wealthiest countries.<\/p>\n
Kathryn Anne Edwards is an economist at the RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Her research spans diverse areas of public policy, including unemployment insurance (UI); the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education pipeline and labor market; women’s labor supply; the challenges in retirement facing older Americans; and labor market issues for workers without a college degree.<\/p>\n