Conceived as a tribute to the accomplishments of Rebecca M. “Becky” Blank (1955–2023), this volume investigates a range of topics related to poverty: its measurement, policies that intend to alleviate it, and the role of the economy in its exacerbation or mitigation. Blank was both a leading scholar of poverty and inequality and a public servant whose career demonstrated the ways in which academic pursuits and civil service can combine to bring manifold benefits to society. In her extraordinary career, she made major contributions to policy analysis and implementation in academic research, in government, and in university administration.
This volume contains new and original research on measuring poverty’s costs and consequences, as well as on other topics of special interest to Blank, including financial aid policy, the evolving roles of women in leadership, the ways in which academics can be more effective in policymaking, and motivations for her work.
