The Self-Help Myth: How Philanthropy Fails to Alleviate Poverty

Can philanthropy alleviate inequality? Do antipoverty programs work on the ground? In this eye—opening analysis, Erica Kohl—Arenas bores deeply into how these issues play out in California’s Central Valley, which is one of the wealthiest agricultural production regions in the world and also home to the poorest people in the United States.

Through the lens of a provocative set of case studies, The Self—Help Myth reveals how philanthropy maintains systems of inequality by attracting attention...