IAS Distinguished Lecture Series: “The Economy, Public Polices and Poverty in the US: Implications for Hong Kong” by Prof. Sheldon Danziger

It was our honor to have Professor Sheldon Danziger to give us a public lecture on “The Economy, Public Polices and Poverty in the US: Implications for Hong Kong” in our third lecture of the IAS Distinguished Lecture Series on Inequality and Poverty held on 16 December 2010 at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Prof. Danziger is the Henry J. Meyer Distinguished University Professor of Public Policy and the Director of National Poverty Center at the University of Michigan.



The abstract of Prof. Danziger’s lecture is as follows:

The poverty rate in the US today is about the same as it was in the late 1960s and is much higher than in many European countries because the 21st century economy does not deliver the benefits of prosperity and productivity to all workers. For most of the last 35 years, the gains from economic growth have not “trickled down” to the poor, and government policies have not done enough to help less-educated workers and their children escape from poverty.

The “Great Recession,” which began in the US in December 2007, has both raised poverty and made reducing poverty in the future more difficult. I show that American attitudes toward labor market policies and toward social welfare policies and tolerance of large inequalities differ from those in most European countries and help explain why US poverty and inequality are higher than in many European countries.

I conclude that US antipoverty policies have the potential to reduce poverty and promote opportunities in today’s globalized economies, and thus are relevant to Hong Kong. For example, US experiences influenced the very successful “war on child poverty” that was launched in the United Kingdom by Prime Minister Tony Blair in the late 1990’s. Policies like the ones implemented in the UK that focus on two issues deserve consideration by policymakers interested in reducing poverty—(1) making work pay for workers adversely affected by today’s globalized economy and (2) promoting educational opportunities for low income children to reduce the intergenerational transmission of poverty.




我們很榮幸邀請到Prof. Sheldon Danziger蒞臨香港科技大學為我們主講第三次不平等和貧困系列的IAS傑出學人講座，講題為「美國的經濟、公共政策和貧窮：給香港的啟示」。Prof. Danziger是美國密西根大學公共政策的傑出教授，同時是國家扶貧中心的主任。

Prof. Danziger演講之內容摘要，請參閱上述所提供的英文版本。