The Effectiveness of Public Assistance Payments in Reducing Poverty

George Dellaportas

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 1980, vol. 39, issue 2, 113-121

Abstract: Abstract. This study investigates the effectiveness of income transfer in reducing poverty in the U.S.A It does so by applying the concepts of set theory to the population segments in poverty and under public assistance. The extent of their intersection versus either subset, i.e., their conditional probability, as well as the extent of either of the non‐intersected segments of the union versus the respective subset, are shown to be reliable indicators of this effectiveness. The last two segments, representing errors of “omission” or of “commission,” are analyzed for their uniform patterns by type of residence and race. Probable reasons for their occurrence are discussed, and certain limitations of the used data are examined.

Date: 1980
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