[Study] Seizing the Moment

from Spotlight on Poverty

Here is a report from the Spotlight on Poverty in the United States. The report details the efforts of state governments in reducing poverty.

State governments are bringing political attention to poverty and opportunity in many ways, including poverty-reduction targets that set a specific goal and timeline; commissions that conclude with recommendations for action; legislative caucuses that seek to foster both legislators’ expertise and bipartisan solutions; and government-sponsored summits.
The trend includes city governments, too. A recent analysis of city efforts from the National League of Cities’ Institute for Youth, Education, and Families is a helpful guide for others looking to raise the profile of poverty and opportunity.3 Last year, the U.S. Conference of Mayors’Task Force on Poverty issued a strategic set of priority recommendations.4 And CLASP will soon issue a summary of recommendations
from the three cities (New York, Providence, and Milwaukee) that most recently released task force reports.

State governments’ political attention to poverty and
opportunity is substantial, fast-paced, and growing:
12 states—nearly one in four—have established initiatives5
10 states—one in five—established their initiatives in 2006 or 2007
4 states already have initiative proposals pending this year6