Journal of Economic Literature
Book Reviews
2026-08-28
Frank Cowell of London School of Economics reviews “The Persistence of Poverty: Why the Economics of the Well-Off Can't Help the Poor” by Charles Karelis,. The EconLit Abstract of the reviewed work begins “Examines the persistence of poverty in the individual sense--why poor people stay poor. Discusses what poverty is; behavioral factors in poverty; some theories; the inefficiency argument; a new way to rationalize the conduct that prolongs and worsens poverty; responses to challenges and questions; policy--what we should do differently if we believe that marginal utility is increasing amid scarcity; and economic justice reconsidered. Karelis is Research Professor of Philosophy at George Washington University. Index.”