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Poverty and Public Policy in the Context of Crisis

Zachary Parolin

Annual Review of Sociology2026https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-031524-103755article
AJG 4*ABDC A*
Weight
0.50

Abstract

This review offers a framework for studying the measurement, consequences, and sources of poverty in times of crisis. Recent crises—such as COVID-19, the Great Recession, and environmental disasters—expose limitations of the standard social science toolkit for studying poverty and offer lessons for improving poverty and policy research. Regarding measurement, evidence suggests that the intrayear volatility of incomes and blurred boundaries between resource-sharing units deserve greater focus in poverty measurement debates. Regarding consequences, research emphasizes the need to quantify poverty's distinct roles as a risk factor versus stratifying feature during crises. Regarding sources, evidence from recent crises offer direct tests of competing theories of poverty and offer clear lessons for policy strategies to reduce poverty. I conclude that sociologists’ conceptual toolkit is uniquely well-suited to capture the multifaceted nature of poverty; the discipline should more forcefully incorporate its principles into a renewed study of poverty and public policy.

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https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-031524-103755

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@article{zachary2026,
  title        = {{Poverty and Public Policy in the Context of Crisis}},
  author       = {Zachary Parolin},
  journal      = {Annual Review of Sociology},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-031524-103755},
}

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Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.