Understanding the psychological dimensions of poverty is critical for understanding how to alleviate it. The goal of this webinar is to highlight novel research on two psychological phenomena that are closely linked with experiencing poverty and economic vulnerability: 1) having low aspirations, or ambitions, for the future, and 2) having low levels of trust or confidence in one’s government.

Overall, this research highlights the importance of considering the negative psychological tolls of poverty and of designing policies that can avert them. Such policies can avoid aspiration failures and distrust in government, thus promoting growth and stability.