A Measure of Poverty: A Proposed Method to Calculate the Poverty Threshold Levels within the United States

There are many ways of measuring poverty - it just depends upon what it is ultimately used for. If it is to be used to measure just the number of economic units that may be in poverty, then a broad measuring stick will likely to suffice. If, on the other hand, one wishes to use it as part of a policy tool, then some other method needs to be developed beyond that of the Official Poverty Measure. This book provides a proposed framework that may overcome most of the obstacles found in various alternative measures. Though not complete, it is intended to be the starting point of a discussion to find a more pragmatic approach to measuring poverty.