The Conquest of Poverty
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4.7 • 3 Ratings
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
Long before Charles Murray took on this topic, Henry Hazlitt wrote an outstanding book on poverty that not only provided an empirical examination of the problem but also presented a rigorous theory for understanding the relationship between poverty and income growth.
He examines poverty in the ancient world, the poor laws of England, the advance of the middle class in the United States, the failure of welfare programs, the fallacies associated with income redistribution, and the relationship between population and poverty.
Its 20 chapters are outstanding essays that make for a well-integrated text on the topic, one which holds up as prophetic in every way, having foreshadowing welfare reform but also pointing the way toward even more radical reforms. The way out of poverty, he explains, is freedom, and freedom alone.
Customer Reviews
An incredibly logical thinker!
I have thoroughly enjoyed everything that I have read by Henry Hazlitt, and this book is no exception. The clarity of his writing is awe-inspiring. He has an unrivaled way of expressing complex ideas using simple English.
Don't be fooled by the title of this book, however. Hazlitt has not discovered upon any magical way of abolishing poverty. He readily admits that he does not have all the answers and feels that the problem of poverty is "insoluble." It's refreshing to hear such humbleness from someone so erudite. And what's even more refreshing is the empathy that Hazlitt shows for the downtrodden, which is something that "conservatives" of today sometimes fail to do.