poverty trap

British  

noun

1. the situation of being unable to escape poverty because of being dependent on state benefits, which are reduced by the same amount as any extra income gained

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Example Sentences

But those energy retrofits are expensive and are likely beyond the reach of many low-income households, which could lead to what the researchers call an energy poverty trap.

From Science Daily • May 31, 2024

“Most cocoa growers live in poverty, and the cocoa poverty trap has led to the widespread use of child labour,” read a statement issued by Mars Wrigley, Mondelez, Barry Callebaut and other companies.

From Washington Post • Dec. 31, 2019

It’s been three years since I wrote a post online about America’s poverty trap that went viral and led to a book deal.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2016

If not, tens of millions of young Filipinos may find themselves stuck in a poverty trap, still dependent on overseas labour as a means of escape.

From BBC • Mar. 8, 2015

The poverty trap as said does not exist.

From Definition & Reality in the General Theory of Political Economy by Colignatus, Thomas