Identifying the Hypothesis - Research Proposal Example

Poverty refers to a situation whereby an individual lacks an amount of money that is socially acceptable, or material possessions. In the United States, the most common method of measuring poverty is by setting up the poverty threshold, by the government. This measure is able to recognize poverty as an aspect whereby an individual lacks the services and goods that are always taken for granted by mainstream members of the society. Acemoglu and Robinson (2012) explain that this threshold is always adjusted because of inflation, and based on the consumer price index.

Acemoglu and Robinson (2012) further explains that the definition of poverty by the government is always based on the total amount of income that an individual receives. For example, in the year 2014, the poverty level for a family of four people was set up at 23,850 dollars total income for the year (Hempel, 2014). The rates of poverty are always high in the inner cities and rural areas in comparison to the suburban areas. This paper examines the cause of poverty in America. Of particular interest to this paper, is the cause of poverty amongst the Hispanic communities.

This paper asserts that the major cause of poverty amongst the Hispanic community is their immigration status. The Hispanics are the largest immigration groups in America, and some of them do not have legal papers that confirm their legal stay in the US (Shannon, 2014). This topic of immigration is very sensitive in the United States, and most presidential outcomes are always decided on the opinion that a presidential candidate has towards immigration (Hempel, 2014). This paper will analyze how this debate on immigration has led to a high poverty level amongst the Hispanics in the United States.

References:Acemoglu, D., & Robinson, J. A. (2012). Why nations fail: the origins of power, prosperity, and poverty. New York: Crown Publishers. Hempel, S. (2014). Hispanics in the USA challenges and opportunities. Braunschweig: Bildungshaus Schulbuchverl. Westermann Schroedel Diesterweg Schöningh Winkler. Shannon, P. (2014). Reading Poverty in America. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.