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Poverty Poker: An exercise to gain insight into the root causes of poverty

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This session will demonstrate an exercise comparing the structural causes of poverty, and how these causes are borne out in individuals’ earning potential. In the guided exercise, two players with full decks of cards will trade in cards as they respond to six scenarios addressing neighborhoods, education, nutrition, parenting, college, and discrimination. Each player’s income is then calculated based on a random draw from their deck. Participants will see how differences in the causal factors quickly create significant disparities, and by extension that poverty is a complex social problem that transcends individuals’ character and work ethic.

Author(s):

Joy Beatty    
University of Michigan - Dearborn
United States

Tim Peterson    
North Dakota State University
United States