Mark R. Rank is recognized as a foremost expert on issues of poverty, inequality and social justice. His research on the life course risk of poverty has demonstrated for the first time that a majority of Americans will experience poverty at some point during their lives.
To date he has written 10 books on a range of subjects, including an exploration of the American Dream, a new understanding of poverty and inequality, and the role of luck and chance in shaping the course of our lives. In addition, he has published articles in numerous academic journals across a wide variety of fields.
Rank’s research has been reported widely throughout the news media, and cited in virtually every major newspaper in the country. He has also been featured in other media outlets including various programs on National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others.
He has provided research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as many national organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice. His work has been cited by then-President Barack Obama, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Rank has developed a website, Confronting Poverty, that allows users to explore in greater depth the issues of poverty and economic inequality. The site, whose centerpiece is an innovative poverty risk calculator, is being used in universities and high schools across the country, along with various social justice and religious communities and organizations. To date, the website has over 1 million page views, and has had visitors from more than 200 countries.
There are factors that have absolutely nothing to do with the candidates themselves or national and international conditions, but can affect a close election. These are what you might call the random factors, writes Mark Rank.
As museums around the world celebrate the centennial of the birth of surrealism, it’s important to recognize that embracing randomness allowed these artists to think outside the box, writes Mark Rank.
In my new book “The Random Factor,” I explain why of the five major U.S. team sports – basketball, football, baseball, hockey and soccer – the one with the greatest amount of luck involved in wins and losses is hockey, writes Mark Rank.
While a highly qualified student applying to a dozen very selective universities will in all likelihood be accepted into at least one, the specific university they are admitted to may be the luck of the draw, writes Mark Rank.
For all of us following our favorite teams, there’s always the tendency to blame a team’s exit from the NCAA tournament to bad luck. Statistically, though, the ball usually bounces true, writes Mark Rank.
World War III was very likely averted as a result of a brief delay in time caused by a sailor who happened to be stuck in the right place at the right time, along with a second-in-command who, when given a few extra seconds, perceptively realized that the boat was not under attack, writes Mark Rank.
The next time somebody tells you that they deserve all the riches that have come their way, you might remind them to count their lucky stars, writes Mark Rank.
No one in this affluent country should be working full-time yet find themselves falling further and further behind. A substantial raise for the workers of this country is long overdue, writes Mark Rank in The Hill.
Taken as a whole, it is extremely encouraging to see a presidential administration, at last, proposing a range of policies designed to rectify the structural nature of poverty and inequality, writes Mark Rank.
If the U.S. ever hopes to finally win the war LBJ began in 1964, the poor need to be seen in order for the government to lift them out of poverty, writes Mark Rank, Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare.
The Brown School’s Mark Rank, co-author of the new book “Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong about Poverty,” discusses five commons myths about poverty in America.
There is no doubt that significant economic destruction lies ahead, writes Mark Rank. But we can use this time of upheaval to rethink the importance of a social safety net that provides protection to all Americans, including the most vulnerable.
Clearly the myths surrounding the “welfare freeloader” have been used by political leaders from Ronald Reagan to Bill Clinton to Donald Trump to further their careers, writes Mark Rank.
Chance and luck play a far bigger role in our lives than any of us know, argues Washington University in St. Louis Professor Mark Rank in his new book, “The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us.”
This month marks the culmination of the college basketball season, when 68 teams vie to become national champion in the annual March Madness tournament. It must take a lot of luck to come out on top, right? Not as much as you might think, says a sociologist at Washington University in St. Louis.
A plan to expand the child tax credit would go a long way in reducing childhood poverty in America, saving billions in future costs, says an expert on poverty and inequality at Washington University in St. Louis.
Mark R. Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School, received prestigious awards over the past six months for his book exploring the myths of poverty in the U.S. and why those myths continue to exist.
How can the United States, one of the wealthiest nations on earth, have the highest rate of poverty among industrialized nations? In a new book, “The Poverty Paradox,” based on decades of research, renowned poverty expert Mark Rank, a professor at the Brown School, develops a unique perspective for understanding this puzzle.
“Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty,” a new book by Mark Rank, a leading academic expert on poverty at Washington University in St. Louis, explores the idealized image of American society.
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) has proposed providing at least $3,000 per child to millions of American families. The move could actually provide enormous future savings for the country, says one of the country’s foremost experts on poverty. “In earlier work, I’ve estimated that for every dollar we spend on reducing childhood poverty, we save anywhere […]
Given the stigmatizing misconceptions surrounding these programs, many of those in need may be reluctant to use them. Here are five of the most common myths.
There is no doubt that significant economic destruction lies ahead. But we can use this time of upheaval to rethink the importance of a social safety net that provides protection to all Americans, including the most vulnerable.
A new book by a professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis explores and critiques the widespread perception in the United States that one’s success or failure in life is largely the result of personal choices and individual characteristics.
Grass-roots groups across the country have been organizing and working to fundamentally change the conditions that disenfranchise so many Americans, poor and nonpoor alike. They would do well to use “Invisible Americans” as a launching point.
Including the insights of more than 35 leading social work scholars from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis and beyond, a new book grapples with 13 key areas in the profession in an effort to identify innovative solutions toward achieving a “livable life — a life in which individuals are able to thrive and reach their full potential.”
Increases in federal transfers, money that the federal government sends to states to improve the well being of citizens, are strongly associated with a decrease in infant mortality rates, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Mark Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School, has developed a calculator that can determine for the first time an American’s expected risk of poverty based on their race, education level, gender, marital status and age. Here’s a video that explains how.
Childhood poverty cost the U.S. $1.03 trillion in 2015, about 5.4 percent of the gross domestic product, according to a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
In a study published in Social Work Research, we determined that childhood poverty cost the nation $1.03 trillion in 2015. This number represented 5.4 percent of the G.D.P. These costs are borne by the children themselves, but ultimately by the wider society as well.
Few topics are more misunderstood than the U.S. social safety net. As Congress considers making significant changes and cuts to these programs during the next few months, it is time to splash a dose of hard reality onto this subject.
A newly-redesigned poverty risk calculator, developed by Mark Rank, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School, can for the first time determine an American’s expected risk of poverty based on their race, education level, gender, marital status and age.
Greater stress and anxiety resulting from economic insecurity may be at least partly to blame for the U.S. death rate that the government announced Dec. 8 has increased for the first time in a decade, says an expert on poverty and inequality at Washington University in St. Louis.
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its poverty numbers for 2015. The poverty rate fell to 13.5 percent from 14.8 percent the year before. The problem with these estimates is that they only provide a snapshot of who is poor in any single year, says an expert on poverty and inequality at Washington University in St. Louis.
A new poverty risk calculator, co-developed by Mark Rank of the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis, can determine an individual’s risk of poverty based on four basic factors: race, education, marital status and age.
Mark Rank has received the 2016 Society for Social Work and Research Book Award for his book “Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes.”
For Americans, the likelihood of experiencing relative poverty at least once in their lifetime is surprisingly high, finds a new study from noted poverty expert Mark Rank, PhD, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Good news for the new year: According to new research by Washington University in St. Louis and Cornell University, there’s a 1-in-9 chance that a typical American will hit the jackpot and join the wealthiest 1 percent for at least one year in her or his working life. The bad news: That same research says only an elite few get
to stay in that economic stratosphere – and nonwhite workers remain
among those who face far longer odds.
Steven Fazzari, PhD, a leading scholar on the relationship between rising income inequality and macroeconomic trends in the United States, will be chair of the recently re-established Department of Sociology at Washington University in St. Louis, Barbara A. Schaal, PhD, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences, has announced.
In “Economic Realities of the American Dream,” professors Steven Fazzari and Mark Rank examine the American Dream’s historical meaning, the traditional pathways to reach it, the current obstacles to achieving it and its viability in the future.
Research on poverty led by Washington University in St. Louis’ Mark R. Rank, PhD, was cited by President Barack Obama in a landmark speech on economic mobility that laid out an agenda for the remainder of his presidency.
In a modern society struggling to loose the grip of a lengthy economic recession, is the American dream really attainable? The
dream may still be possible, though much more difficult to achieve, say
a renowned macroeconomist and one of America’s foremost experts on
poverty, co-teachers of a course on the American Dream this semester at Washington University in St. Louis.
What is the American Dream’s role in today’s society? Experts from Washington University in St. Louis will explore this question in a panel discussion at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18, in Brown Hall Lounge on the Danforth Campus. Panelists are Steven Fazzari, PhD, professor of economics in Arts & Sciences; Carter W. Lewis, playwright-in-residence in the Performing Arts Department in Arts & Sciences; and Mark R. Rank, PhD, the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School.
Nearly half of all Americans between the ages of 60 and 90 will encounter at least one year of poverty or near poverty, says a recent study by Mark R. Rank, PhD, professor at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. The findings are published in the current issue of Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services.
Current census figures show that one in seven Americans is living below the poverty level, a rate that nears the record poverty levels of 1960. “The latest rise in the poverty rate illustrates how many more Americans are at risk of poverty and economic insecurity in this country,” says Mark R. Rank, PhD, poverty expert and the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.
Holidays and tables full of delicious food usually go hand-in-hand, but for nearly half of the children in the United States, this is not guaranteed, says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., poverty expert at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work.
Holidays and tables full of delicious food usually go hand in hand, but for nearly half of the children in the United States, this is not guaranteed. “49 percent of all U.S. children will be in a household that uses food stamps at some point during their childhood,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., poverty expert at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. “Food stamp use is a clear sign of poverty and food insecurity, two of the most detrimental economic conditions affecting a child’s health.” Rank’s study, “Estimating the Risk of Food Stamp Use and Impoverishment During Childhood,” is published in the current issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Video available.
“With President Obama now approaching six months in office, some have suggested that we have gone beyond race as a major dividing line in society. Yet nothing could be further from the truth,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis. “One of the fundamental fault lines in American society continues to be the ongoing racial disparities in economic well-being.” Using 30 years of data, Rank examined three key factors in attaining economic well-being: owning a home and building equity; attaining affluence and avoiding poverty; and possessing enough assets to survive economic turmoil, or a “rainy day fund.” “The results indicate that within each area, the economic racial divide across the American life course is immense,” Rank says.
Election night media coverage will feature three professors from Washington University on KETC-TV, Channel 9. The professors will be among local political experts and citizens invited to participate in the station’s multimedia collaboration with the St. Louis Beacon, an online journal.
Recent economic events have shaken the confidence of many Americans with respect to their ability to achieve the “American dream.” “With rising numbers of home foreclosures, job cuts, and loss of savings, more Americans are encountering severe periods of economic risk and insecurity in their lives,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., poverty expert and professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis.
Many Americans are faced with the fear of going hungry.Most Americans don’t think they’ll ever be faced with the question of how they will get their next meal, but a recent study co-authored by a social welfare expert at Washington University in St. Louis shows that at least 42 percent of the U.S. population will deal with food insecurity during their lifetime. “Food insecurity goes beyond the fear of going hungry,” explains Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the university’s George Warren Brown School of Social Work. “Food insecurity means that people are unable to provide themselves and their families nutritionally adequate food on a regular basis.
Although the focus of homeland security has been on reducing the threat of terrorism, the growing threat of poverty is rapidly undermining the nation’s economic vitality and has fueled rising disillusionment, says one of the nation’s leading scholars of poverty issues. “We need to wake up in America and realize that our homeland security is tied as much if not more to the fact that huge numbers of Americans are being left behind economically, and that as a result, the American Dream is quickly turning into an American nightmare,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis.
Social inequalities in schools and neighborhoods will be addressed by leading national scholars as well as prominent local scholars, experts and activists during a daylong conference Feb. 27 at Washington University. WUSTL’s Program in Social Thought & Analysis (STA) in Arts & Sciences is sponsoring the conference, titled “Inequalities in Schools & Neighborhoods: St. Louis and Beyond.”
As part of Washington University’s Sesquicentennial celebration, Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work (GWB), will host a lecture series titled “Exploring the Impact of Economic Inequality Upon American Society.” The series will kick off Jan. 21 with a lecture by Ichiro Kawachi, Ph.D., professor of epidemiology and director of the Harvard Center for Society and Health, on “”Why Inequality is Harmful to Your Health,” at 1:10 p.m. in Brown Hall Lounge.
Photo courtesy of Tom Paule PhotographyMarrying for love … and money.Becoming wealthy and creating a happy family are two key components to achieving the American Dream, but do marriage and children have any impact on your chances of becoming rich? “Marriage substantially increases a person’s likelihood of becoming affluent,” says Mark R. Rank, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington University in St. Louis and co-author of a study out this month that looks at earnings over the course of a person’s lifetime. “Having children, however, significantly lowers the probability of becoming wealthy for all people,” Rank adds.
Understanding Economic Hardship Amid American Prosperity
The paradox of poverty amidst plenty has plagued the United States throughout the 21st century–why should the wealthiest country in the world also have the highest rates of poverty among the industrialized nations? In “The Poverty Paradox,” Mark Robert Rank develops his unique perspective for understanding this puzzle.
What if the idealized image of American society—a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success—is completely wrong? Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric only ratcheting […]
Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality explores and critiques the widespread perception in the United States that one’s success or failure in life is largely the result of personal choices and individual characteristics.
Historically, social workers have confronted and alleviated many of society’s most far-reaching and seemingly intractable challenges. As we move further into the 21st century, however, the field faces a renewed call to action as critical problems become more deeply and widely engrained in the world’s social fabric. Enlisting the insights of leading social work scholars, […]
