How corporations get rich off America’s poor

How corporations get rich off America’s poor

From The Source by David Martin Davies

May 5, 2026 · 49 min

About this episode

This episode discusses how corporations profit from poverty in America and the impact of government spending on low-income individuals.

Poverty is big business in America. The federal government spends about $900 billion a year on programs that impact poor Americans, including antipoverty programs like Medicaid, affordable housing and subsidies. There is a vast web of entrenched companies that profit from regulating the lives of the poor with business models that depend on exploiting low-income Americans. The new book Poverty for Profit explains.

People in this episode

Host: David Martin Davies

Topics covered

  • poverty
  • business
  • government spending
  • antipoverty programs
  • exploitation
  • low-income Americans

Keywords

  • poverty
  • business models
  • Medicaid
  • affordable housing
  • subsidies
  • exploitation
  • low-income

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: federal government

Books & works: Poverty for Profit

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