poverty
Richest 1% of Ohioans make almost as much as entire bottom half, analysis says
Income inequality in Ohio has been growing for the past 50 years, with the 1% who make the highest wages getting 10% of the total take in 2018, according to a new analysis. Compare that to the lowest-earning 50% of Ohioans. Combined, they only made a little more than that tiny, highly paid sliver of […]
Is big split between rich and poor making us all poorer? Maybe
It seems as if income inequality would slow the economy. But in a recent survey a big portion of a panel of Ohio economists said… that depends. In the survey of 26 Ohio economists released Monday, 14 agreed that rising inequality in Ohio is slowing economic growth, four disagreed and eight said they were unsure. By […]
“We’re desperately worried about food.” For Ohio foodbanks, a bad situation gets worse.
Ohioans have seen some respite from high fuel costs in recent months. But those who provide food to millions of poor people in the state say their situation is only deteriorating. Global supply-chain problems, labor shortages, the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other mega-trends are all combining to make them worry for the first time that they just won't have enough food for everybody who needs it, Lisa Hamler-Fugitt, executive director of the Ohio Association of Foodbanks, said on Monday.
DeWine claims “great progress” for families. Data say something else
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s rhetoric about some of the most vulnerable Ohioans doesn’t appear to match the reality if data released last week are any guide. The governor has been refusing to talk about some of the most controversial aspects of strict new abortion restrictions that he signed into law in 2019 and which took […]
Beyond the rhetoric: Abortion restrictions will affect poor & minorities unequally
As with so many aspects of the culture wars, the American debate over abortion seems to spend little time considering what policies will actually do to the people at whom they’re aimed. Proponents of restrictions — or outright bans — believe they’re fighting to save unborn lives. But while the question of when an unborn […]
Ohio economists: Child tax credit would be a boon
It would be great for Ohio children and the overall economy if Ohio were to implement child tax credits similar to the federal ones that expired at the beginning of the year. That was the overwhelming consensus in a survey published Tuesday of a panel of the state’s academic economists. In the survey, conducted by […]
Going hungry: Pandemic, inflation, supply issues prompt cry for help
As state leaders spend money on other things, the Ohio Association of Foodbanks this week issued an extraordinary plea for assistance, saying many rural foodbanks are rationing food and those in other parts of the state soon will be. From the coronavirus pandemic to supply chain disruptions and inflation, to Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, […]
Families going hungry: Food insecurity is bad in Ohio and poised to explode
America’s hunger crisis is coming to a head. With supply chain problems and inflated food prices alongside family economic struggles stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Ohio families facing food insecurity has exploded. Meanwhile, the Columbus Dispatch reported Tuesday, 700,000 low-income Ohio households could see big cuts to the food stamps program in […]
Ending extreme poverty in Ohio would be the state’s 16th-largest tax write-off
Often in state government, policymakers are chipping away at the margins of public policy. Legislation is usually aimed toward tweaking small technocratic problems to try to deliver services better or fighting culture war battles to score points with interest groups. Too often these policies do little to nothing to help people. So what would it […]
Ohio Medicaid claims it’s more transparent than other states
After refusing to disclose federal watchdog reports, the Ohio Department of Medicaid last week claimed that the relevant information it “makes available to the public appears to include at least as much, if not more information.” It pointed to some of that information Monday, but it’s hard to evaluate whether it meets or exceeds that […]
With inflation, supply-chain kinks, plight of Ohio food banks grows
For millions of Ohioans, world events are making it harder to fill their pantries and refrigerators, an official who helps oversee the state’s food banks said on Wednesday. Those pressures will only increase pantries’ need for state assistance, she said. The coronavirus pandemic had already put pressure on the state’s food banks as demand increased […]
The federal poverty line struggles to capture the economic hardship that half of Americans face
By Celine-Marie Pascale, American University Michael Chase works two jobs in southeast Ohio: one as a hotel night clerk and one as retail support – sorting through donations, setting new merchandise out, cleaning – at a nonprofit. His schedule is not fixed in either job, and his hours are not guaranteed. Some weeks he works […]