With my two emphases being psychology and business I am interested in how poverty effects psychological development and what role private sector business can contribute to elevating people out of poverty. While these two ideas are on the surface miles apart I think I can find a way to draw them together. I believe that poverty is every American's problem and one that will take the collective effort to solve. I also believe that our civic choices, particularly political choices, play a major role and bear much of the responsibility for poverty. 

The effects of poverty on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children and youth: implications for prevention.

Abstract:

"This article considers the implications for prevention science of recent advances in research on family poverty and children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health. First, we describe definitions of poverty and the conceptual and empirical challenges to estimating the causal effects of poverty on children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health. Second, we offer a conceptual framework that incorporates selection processes that affect who becomes poor as well as mechanisms through which poverty appears to influence child and youth mental health. Third, we use this conceptual framework to selectively review the growing literatures on the mechanisms through which family poverty influences the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children. We illustrate how a better understanding of the mechanisms of effect by which poverty impacts children's mental, emotional, and behavioral health is valuable in designing effective preventive interventions for those in poverty. Fourth, we describe strategies to directly reduce poverty and the implications of these strategies for prevention. This article is one of three in a special section (see also Biglan, Flay, Embry, & Sandler, 2012; Muñoz, Beardslee, & Leykin, 2012) representing an elaboration on a theme for prevention science developed by the 2009 report of the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583341

Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development

Abstract:

"In this paper I explore how five competing theories of poverty shape anti-poverty strategies. Since most rural community development efforts aim to relieve causes or symptoms of poverty, it makes a difference which theory of poverty is believed to be responsible for the problem being addressed. In this paper five theories of poverty are distilled from the literature. It will be shown that these theories of poverty place its origin from 1) individual deficiencies, 2) cultural belief systems that support subcultures in poverty, 3) political-economic distortions, 4) geographical disparities, or 5) cumulative and circumstantial origins. Then, I show how each theory of poverty finds expression in common policy discussion and community development programs aimed to address the causes of poverty. Building a full understanding of each of these competing theories of poverty shows how they shape different community development approaches. While no one theory explains all instances of poverty, this paper aims to show how community development practices that address the complex and overlapping sources of poverty more effectively reduce poverty compared to programs that address a single theory."

 http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf

Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda

Abstract:

"We study a government program in Uganda designed to help the poor and unemployed become self-employed artisans. The program targeted people ages 16 to 35 in Uganda’s conflict-affected north, inviting them to form groups and submit grant proposals to pay for vocational training and business start-up. Funding was randomly assigned, and treatment groups received unsupervised cash grants of $382 per member on average. The government’s main aims were to increase in-comes and thus also promote social stability. The treatment group invests some of the grant in skills training but most in tools and materials. After four years half practice a skilled trade. Relative to the control group, the program increases business assets by 57%, hours of work by 17%, and earnings by 38%. We see no corresponding impact, however, on individual social cohesion, participation, anti-social behavior, or protest attitudes and participation. Based on individual earnings alone we estimate 30 to 50% annual returns to investment from the program. We also see evidence that the treatment group grow their enterprises and hire labor, extending the employment impacts of the program. Impact levels are similar for treatment men and women, but are qualitatively different for women — both because women begin poorer (meaning the impact is larger relative to their starting point), and because women’s enterprises and earnings stagnate without the program but take off after a grant. The patterns we observe — high rates of investment, new business start-up, and returns on investment — are consistent with able but credit-constrained young people."

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552

Many Americans blame ‘government welfare’ for persistent poverty

Abstract:

"Two decades after President Bill Clinton promised to “end welfare as we know it,” Americans blame government handouts for persistent poverty in the United States more than any other single factor, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll. Lack of job opportunities” was the second most popular answer, at 18 percent, followed by “lack of good educational opportunities” and “breakdown of families,” with 13 percent apiece."

http://www.marfdrat.net/2013/06/12/poll-many-americans-blame-government-welfare-for-persistent-poverty/#.UlNugdLkuLI

References:

Bradshaw, T. (2006, February). Rural Poverty Research Center. Retrieved from Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community : http://www.rupri.org/Forms/WP06-05.pdf

Christopher Blattman, N. F. (2013, September 27). Generating Skilled Self-Employment in Developing Countries: Experimental Evidence from Uganda. Retrieved from Social Science Research Network: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552

Marfdrat. (2013, June 12). Poll: Many Americans blame ‘government welfare’ for persistent poverty. Retrieved from Marfdrat.com: http://www.marfdrat.net/2013/06/12/poll-many-americans-blame-government-welfare-for-persistent-poverty/#.UlS-gtLkuLJ

Yoshikawa H, A. J. (2012, May-June). The effects of poverty on the mental, emotional, and behavioral health of children and youth: implications for prevention. Retrieved from NCBI Pubmed.gov: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22583341