It's complex, but made worse by overpopulation in general, loss of traditional ways of earning a livelihood, women having children out of wedlock, and drug and alcohol use. Lack of mobility of populations because they are attached (and rightly so) to a particular place and occupation. Megafarms rather than smaller family farms and self sufficiency. There is a "psychogene", a word I just heard of..but expectations are passed down of poverty. I know that is true in my family. Education. Too many dropouts. Too much curriculum for the college bound and the rest be damned. A lot lot lot of poverty could be reduced and often eliminated by mother and father getting vocational training in high school, hopefully another level at a community college, being married, having a small number of children and avoiding drugs and alcohol. And diet Pepsi. So there are ways to break into the cycle. Birth control. Expectations that girls will not get pregnant before marriage (what a concept) and will complete an education. Same same boys. No tolerance of drugs or crime, which makes the experience of poverty so much worse if you are afraid for your life..and makes people who would step in to help or to house you afraid to do it...

Education of course, combined with social parameters that make it hard for people to drop out of school, get pregnant early and unmarried, use drugs etc. Government as a last resort for employment and for housing, and all housing on public dime drug-free or else in high lock-down places with high security where all adult drug users are assembled and children not exposed to them. mg