Project Summary: (1) In Poverty in the United States: An Overview, Brown presents key facts about the nature, extent, and causes of poverty in the U.S. He makes the point that Americans tend to explain the causes of poverty in terms of personal and individual causal factors. What does Brown mean when he says people explain the causes of poverty in an individualistic manner? What are some examples of these explanations? What are some of the arguments he makes to counter these explanations? Why do you think that individualistic explanations are attractive to the public? (2) Think about Robert Reichs book, Aftershock. What is the basic bargain? When did it originate and what did it do in terms of inequality and economic growth? According to Reich, what is the status of the basic bargain today and what are some changes in labor that have influenced the bargain? What are Reichs suggestions for invigorating the bargain?