Let’s admit it: it can be difficult to identify good
blog-like resources. Some hide their biases, while others are clearly not
striving for objectivity. Many of us may turn to academic sources, journals and
the like, but there’s not always time for that. Or perhaps you’re looking for
that next illusive research question. What to do?
Below I introduce four sure-bet poverty alleviation
policy blogs to jump-start your thinking.
1) CFED’s The
Inclusive Economy Blog
The Corporation for Enterprise Development, popularly known
as CFED, is a premier think tank concerned with economic opportunity and
poverty alleviation. Started in 2008, CFED’s The Inclusive Economy explores cutting-edge developments in the
poverty alleviation field. Every week the blog publishes a poverty alleviation
“news roundup.”
The Inclusive Economy is
a great resource for staying on top of poverty alleviation trends. Because of
CFED’s expansive research operations, which their blogs link back to, you can
dive as deeply as you’d like on any issue.
2) Economic Policy
Institute
The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) operates a Working Economics blog. Their blog is newer than CFED’s — established in
2011 — so if you are researching policies predating that, this blog may not be
for you.
Working Economics is
an excellent resource for those who want an in-depth discussion of economic
impacts on poverty and labor. The bulk of their writers are economists, and
considering that, their blog posts are pretty accessible for laypeople. If you
are looking for “the big picture” behind figures like the unemployment rate, the
jobs report, and GDP numbers — look here.
3) TalkPoverty.org
A project of the Center
for American Progress, TalkPoverty.org is a progressive blog funded by the
Ford Foundation. The blog focuses on poverty, but also tackles related issues
like the prison system and racial justice. TalkPoverty.org also features a
weekly podcast “Talk Poverty Radio.”
My favorite part of TalkPoverty.org is found under the
Poverty Data tab. There you can find a state-by-state breakdown of poverty and
related statistics. The page yields all kinds of interesting statistics, for
instance, did you know that Massachusetts has the lowest teen birth rate among
states, and the 48th highest income inequality ratio? Click
here for more Massachusetts poverty statistics.
This blog is a great resource if you are looking to learn
about poverty from a broad perspective. The podcast tracks current events (this
week’s: the Flint Water Crisis).
4) Spotlight on
Poverty and Opportunity, News Section & Spotlight Exclusives
Looking for a
video-centric blog? Check out the Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity. This
blog describes itself as non-partisan collaboration between foundations. While
the website isn’t clear who is supporting this blog, it seems that CLASP, the
well-known poverty think tank curates much of the content.
Spotlight on
Poverty and Opportunity’s news section collates articles pertinent to the
poverty discussion. Its Spotlight Exclusives section features pieces from
well-known think tanks (like Demos) and academics. If you’re looking for
a fresh perspective from leaders in the field, give the Spotlight Exclusives a
look. Like TalkPoverty.org, this blog also has a state-by-state breakdown of
poverty indicators. There are more statistics on this blog, but TalkPoverty.org
gives ranks states.
What blogs do you use? Comment below.
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