Philanthropy’s Misguided Ideas for Fixing Ghetto Poverty: The Limits of Free Markets and Place-Based Initiatives
Written by Peter Dreier Created on Thursday, 19 March 2015 21:19 “ICE TOWER” BY ANNE DARLING/ WWW.SAATCHIART.COM/ANNEDARLING Editors’ note: This article is from NPQ ’s new, spring 2015 edition: “Inequality's Tipping Point and the Pivotal Role of Nonprofits.” One hundred years ago, progressive thinkers and activists who called for women’s suffrage, an end to lynching, the right of workers to form unions, health and safety standards for workplaces, the eight-hour workday, a federal minimum wage, a progressive income tax, old-age insurance, and government-subsidized healthcare were considered impractical idealists, utopian dreamers, or dangerous socialists. Fifty years ago, those who called for women’s equality, laws protecting the environment, civil rights for gays and lesbians, and greater numbers of black and Hispanic/Latino elected officials were also considered clueless or hopelessly radical. Now we take all these ideas for ...