I welcome an absolute definition of poverty. We talk about the richest and poorest quintiles much more often, which is worse than a moving target. There will al

I welcome an absolute definition of poverty. We talk about the richest and poorest quintiles much more often, which is worse than a moving target. There will always be a lowest quintile. The cynic in me thinks this is a job protection program for those working in poverty reduction. I wish we had more science here. The linked research points to the 1995 welfare reforms as causing a change. The way to prove effectiveness is with a well run trial - one that changes in federal policy make impossible. Economic growth (or stagnation) is also crucial here to lower poverty rates. But all of macroeconomics suffers from the same basic measurement problem. Restated: what anti poverty program did hundreds of millions of Indian and Chinese families since 1995 participate in?