Poverty and power : the problem of structural inequality / Edward Royce.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Royce, Edward Cary.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Poverty--United States.

Poverty.

United States.

Equality--United States.

Equality.

Physical Description:

xi, 327 pages ; 23 cm

Other Title:

Poverty & power

Place of Publication:

Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, [2009]

Summary:

Poverty and Power suggests that today's poverty results from deep-rooted disparities in income, wealth, and power. The rate and severity of poverty remain high, because millions of Americans are trapped in low-wage jobs, inadequately served by government policy, excluded from mainstream policy debates, and victimized by discrimination and social exclusion.

Contents:

1 Poverty as a Social Problem 1

The Problem of Poverty 2

The Individualistic Perspective and the Structural Perspective 13

Part I Individualistic Theories of Poverty and Inequality 27

2 The Biogenetic Theory of Poverty and Inequality 29

Our Fate Is in Our Genes 29

Genes, IQ, and Intelligence 31

Is It Better to Be Born Smart or Born Rich? 33

Genes, IQ, and Poverty 35

3 The Cultural Theory of Poverty and Inequality 47

Poverty as Deviance 47

The Origins and Development of the Cultural Theory 48

The Culture of the Poor 49

The Sources of the Cultural Deviance of the Poor 51

The Cultural Solution to the Problem of Poverty 53

Is the Cultural Theory Plausible? 55

How Well Does the Cultural Theory Know the Poor? 57

Do the Poor Differ from the Nonpoor, and If So How and Why? 58

4 The Human Capital Theory of Poverty and Inequality 71

Education Is the Key to Success 71

Acquiring Human Capital 73

Converting Human Capital 75

What You Know or Who You Are? 76

What You Know or Who You Know? 79

What You Know or Where You Work? 81

Skills Deficit or Jobs Deficit? 82

Part II A Structural Perspective on Poverty-Four Systems 89

5 The Economic System and Poverty 91

The Economics of Poverty 91

Poverty and Economic Growth 93

Skill-Biased Technological Change 94

A Shift in the Balance of Economic Power 97

Deindustrialization 100

Globalization 103

Corporate Restructuring 107

A Shortage of Jobs 110

6 The Political System and Poverty 123

The Politics of Poverty 123

We're Number One: The United States in Comparative Perspective 124

The Structure of the American Political System 127

The Political Mobilization of Business 131

The Political Marginalization of the Working Class and the Poor 132

The Synergy of Money and Power 136

Policy Consequences of the Power Shift: Robin Hood in Reverse 139

7 The Cultural System and Poverty 157

Hearts and Minds 157

The American Dream and the Ideology of Individualism 159

Beliefs about Poverty and the Poor 161

Strong Individualism, Weak Structuralism 162

The News Media 165

The Right-Wing Ideology Machine 172

The Rightward Turn in Poverty Discourse 175

8 The Social System and Poverty 187

We Are Not Alone 187

Group Memberships 189

Neighborhood Effects 192

Social Networks and Social Capital 196

Part III A Structural Perspective on Poverty-Ten Obstacles 215

9 Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (I) 217

Racial and Ethnic Discrimination 218

Residential Segregation 222

Housing 226

Education 230

Transportation 234

10 Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (II) 249

Sex Discrimination 249

Child Care 253

Health and Health Care 256

Retirement Insecurity 260

Legal Deprivation 264

Poverty and Power 283

Programs and Power 285

Movements and Power 289.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-316) and index.

ISBN:

9780742564435

0742564436

9780742564442

0742564444

OCLC:

231680016