poverty trap

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

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

“Breaking this poverty trap will help future generations avoid welfare programs altogether,” wrote Gaetz and others, including Reps.

From Washington Post

If there is any `trap’ in Africa, it is the `poverty trap.’”

From Seattle Times

As the former representative Paul Ryan put it, “There are nearly 100 programs at the federal level that are meant to help, but they have actually created a poverty trap.”

From New York Times

Throughout most of our history, however, our species was caught in a poverty trap.

From Washington Post