An analysis of U.S. poverty thresholds—Official Poverty Measure, Supplemental Poverty Measures and NYCgov—this assignment asks students to create a poverty threshold to meet a fictitious family’s bare essential needs. Students will then critique the pros and cons of the current poverty guidelines in the context of neoliberalism and retrenchment of the welfare state.
This activity facilitates lecture comprehension and engages in critical thinking and policy analysis.