Poverty and Power: The Problem of Structural Inequality

379 Pages·2019·4.456 MB·English

by  Edward Royce

Poverty and Power
The Problem of Structural Inequality
Third Edition
Edward Royce
Rollins College
ROWMAN&LITTLEFIELD
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Description:ThirdEdition.|Lanham:Rowman&LittlefieldPublishing,[2018]|Revised
editionoftheauthor’sPovertyandpower,[2015]|Includesbibliographicalreferences
andindex.
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Subjects:LCSH:Poverty—UnitedStates.|Equality—UnitedStates.
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Brief Contents

Preface to the Third Edition xiii
Acknowledgments xvii

1 Poverty as a Social Problem 1

Part I: Individualistic Theories of Poverty and Inequality
2 The Biogenetic Theory of Poverty and Inequality 25
3 The Cultural Theory of Poverty and Inequality 39
4 The Human Capital Theory of Poverty and Inequality 61

Part II: A Structural Perspective on Poverty—Four Systems
5 The Economic System and Poverty 81
6 The Political System and Poverty 111
7 The Cultural System and Poverty 143
8 The Social System and Poverty 171

Part III: A Structural Perspective on Poverty—Ten Obstacles
9 Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (I) 195
10 Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (II) 219
11 Conclusion 245

Appendix: The Individualistic Perspective and the Structural
Perspective 257
Notes 261
Selected Bibliography 325
Index 345
About the Author 359

v

Detailed Contents
PrefacetotheThirdEdition xiii
NewtotheThirdEdition xiii
Acknowledgments xvii
1 PovertyasaSocialProblem 1
TheProblemofPoverty 3
TheOfficialRateofPovertyintheUnitedStatesIsVeryHigh 3
TheRealRateofPovertyintheUnitedStatesIsEvenHigher 4
PovertyintheUnitedStatesIsWorseThaninOther
DevelopedCountries 4
PovertyintheUnitedStatesIsaPersistentProblem 5
MoreofToday’sPoorAreSeverelyPoor 6
TheRelativeDeprivationandSocialExclusionofthePoor 7
MoreofToday’sPoorAreStuckinPoverty 7
TheShreddingoftheSafetyNet 9
MostAmericansAreVulnerabletoPoverty 11
LivingwithoutanEconomicCushion 12
EconomicGrowthIsNottheCureforToday’sPoverty 13
TheConditionsThatCausePovertyHarmMostAmericans 14
PovertyIsaSocialJusticeIssue 15
TheIndividualisticPerspectiveandtheStructuralPerspective 16
OrganizationoftheBook 18
PartI:IndividualisticTheoriesofPovertyandInequality
2 TheBiogeneticTheoryofPovertyandInequality 25
OurFateIsinOurGenes 25
Genes,IQ,andIntelligence 27

vii
viii DetailedContents
IsItBettertoBeBornSmartorBornRich? 30
Genes,IQ,andPoverty 32
IndividualisticBias 32
InequalityofOpportunity 32
TheCorrelationbetweenIQandPoverty 34
GettingaJob 34
PovertyintheAggregate 35
Conclusion 36
3 TheCulturalTheoryofPovertyandInequality 39
PovertyasDeviance 39
TheOriginsandDevelopmentoftheCulturalTheory 40
TheCultureofthePoor 40
TheSourcesoftheCulturalDevianceofthePoor 43
TheCulturalSolutiontotheProblemofPoverty 46
IstheCulturalTheoryPlausible? 47
HowWellDoestheCulturalTheoryKnowthePoor? 50
DothePoorDifferfromtheNonpoor,andIfSo,HowandWhy? 51
Work 53
Family 55
CultureandPoverty 56
Conclusion 57
4 TheHumanCapitalTheoryofPovertyandInequality 61
EducationIstheKeytoSuccess 61
AcquiringHumanCapital 63
ConvertingHumanCapital 65
WhatYouKnoworWhoYouAre? 66
GenderandRace/Ethnicity 67
CulturalCapital 67
PsychologicalCapital 68
WhatYouKnoworWhoYouKnow? 70
WhatYouKnoworWhereYouWork? 72
SkillsDeficitorJobsDeficit? 73
Conclusion 76
PartII:AStructuralPerspectiveonPoverty—FourSystems
5 TheEconomicSystemandPoverty 81
TheEconomicsofPoverty 81
AShiftintheBalanceofEconomicPower 83
Deindustrialization 86
Globalization 89
TechnologicalUnemployment 94
FinancializationandtheShareholderRevolution 98