Measuring poverty and its price in the industrial age.
This concise study explains how national income is formed and shared, and what that means for the poorest workers. It frames poverty as a pressing social problem and uses data to illuminate the lives of the wage-earning class.
The book examines how wealth is distributed, why gaps persist, and how changes in industry and employment affect daily living. It also discusses the limits of old relief systems and surveys proposed reforms that could protect vulnerable workers while balancing society’s needs.
- How the national income is divided among rent, interest, profits, and wages.
- Why income inequality can drive real hardship even when overall wealth grows.
- Historical and modern approaches to alleviating poverty, including state and private efforts.
- Examples from urban life that reveal the pressures of machinery, employment, and population shifts.
Ideal for readers interested in social history, economic policy, and the human effects of industrial change.