China’s dramatic economic transformation, which saw the nation move from a billion citizens in extreme poverty to zero in under 30 years, provides a powerful lesson in concentrated state effort. This success contrasts with the political inertia and policy choices in the US that have allowed extreme poverty to triple.
The US situation—with over four million citizens now surviving on less than $3 a day—is a stark reminder that immense economic output and technological innovation are politically shielded from reaching the lower income brackets.
The policies of both major US parties have contributed to this widening gap, creating an income distribution where the middle-class share has shrunk and the poorest 10% receive a negligible 1.8% of national income, less than comparable groups in many poorer nations.