Challenging the conventional approach most "poverty" books take - a focus on how government attempts to assist the poor with welfare programs - D. Eric Schansberg instead presents in this volume a dynamic and timely alternative to the idea. Using public choice economics, he illustrates how special interest groups advocate policies that benefit themselves but inadvertently hurt the poor.

The author demonstrates how this inequity occurs in both product and labor markets - from farm subsidies to protectionist trade policies, from drug prohibition to the government's provision of public education.

In addition, Schansberg provides the reader with a thorough analysis of welfare policies, focusing on the intractable problems built into the current system. He then argues for radical welfare reform advocating case-by-case solutions centered on "tough love" and to the extent possible, private charities. The author also provides statistical information on income distribution and redistribution, a discussion of discrimination, and a section devoted to international policy issues.