Getting to Know the Poor

Ezra Rosser, American University Washington College of Law

Abstract

This essay explores how we get to know the poor, focusing on the poor voices literature of academics and international institutions. I first examine the challenge of avoiding tokenism while still providing context in portrayals of the poor. The essay then highlights the distance between the poor and the non-poor, showing how this separation, when coupled with negative stereotypes regarding the poor, can negatively impact policy.