Undeservedness

The language of (un)deservedness has been widely criticized for excluding and shaming those who bear the brunt of inequalities. For example, in a 66-page report on victory over poverty, the Trump administration declared the major problem that remained unresolved was  moral declination among the population (e.g. self-sufficiency), which resulted in resources being distributed to poor-but-could-have-been-better households. Many pointed out that such framing tied welfare programs with a policy beneficiary’s ability to perform victimhood and deservedness to earn sympathy and help. It also precluded important discussions about barriers that prevented people’s entry into the market in the first place, or how the economy needed people, but was never for people. For example, economic conditions could trap people in a cycle of poverty despite intergenerational effort of hard work.