This wide-ranging and accessible survey of poverty in America examines every important facet of the issue, from historical and socioeconomic contributors to poverty to programs, policies, and ideas crafted to reduce income inequality and poverty across the USA. Specific attention is given to shifting ideological views and approaches to poverty and poor relief, major historical actions, statutes, and practices adopted to mitigate poverty’s various causes and effects, and trends related to mobility and wealth and income disparity.
Important areas of coverage include the impact of depressions, recessions, economic ""booms,"" and social welfare laws on poverty. Other subjects receiving extensive coverage include the linkage between educational attainment, employment, social capital, family structure, housing security, homeownership, and geography on poverty.
Readers will better understand efforts that have been made to alleviate poverty,
restore a thriving middle class, and improve prospects for social and economic mobility.
An array of complementary materials on poverty and economic inequality in America are also provided, including a suite of personal essays, a general bibliography, primary documents, glossary of terms, and chronology.
By:
Christina G. Villegas (California State University San Bernardino USA)
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 232mm,
Width: 156mm,
Spine: 22mm
Weight: 600g
ISBN: 9781440877681
ISBN 10: 1440877688
Series: Contemporary World Issues
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 01 May 2025
Audience:
College/higher education
,
Primary & secondary/elementary & high school
,
Primary
,
Educational: Primary & Secondary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Preface 1. Background and History Introduction Land of Promise Poverty and Poor Relief in Early America The Market Revolution The Rise and Fall of Slavery Industrialization and Urbanization The Progressive Era and the 1920s The Great Depression and the New Deal The Great Society and the War on Poverty Welfare Reform and Compassionate Conservativism The Era of Neoliberalism The Financial Crisis and the Great Recession The Rise of New Socialism and Populism COVID-19, The Great Resignation, and the Continued Growth of Economic Inequality Socioeconomic Contexts and Geographic Disparities Conclusion References 2. Problems, Controversies, and Solutions Introduction Problems and Controversies Defining Poverty Debating the War on Poverty Economic Inequality Race and Poverty Gender and Poverty Globalization and Financialization Trade and Immigration Rising Housing Costs and Shortages Wage Stagnation and the Gig Economy Inflation Energy Policy Higher Education Costs and Over Credentialization Workforce Disconnection Social Alienation and Addiction Homelessness Solutions Family Support and Affordability Universal Basic Income Taxes and Subsidies Improving Real Wages Combatting Inflation Rebuilding Social Capital and Supportive Communities Reforming Secondary and Higher Education Conclusion References 3. Perspectives Introduction “Child Neglect and Child Poverty – Connections and Distinctions” - Sarah A. Font “Military Veterans and Poverty” - Rebecca Burgess “Reforming the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit” - Roger Valdez “The Value of Work and Its Implications for Poverty” - Oren Cass “Title 1 Funds and Low-Income Student Test Scores” - Vicki Alger 4. Profiles Introduction Individuals Government Agencies and Programs Non-Profit Organizations and Programs 5. Data and Documents Introduction Data Documents Thomas Jefferson, A Bill for the Support of the Poor (1789) FDR’s Message to Congress on the State of the Union Outlining an Economic Bill of Rights (1944) Lyndon B. Johnson, Special Message to Congress Declaring a War on the Sources of Poverty (1964) Selections from the Economic Opportunity Act (1964) Ronald Reagan, Radio Address to the Nation on Welfare Reform (1986) Selections from the Personal Responsibility & Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (1996) What We Do Together: The State of Social Capital in America Today, Selections from the Hearing Before the Joint Economic Committee (2017) Economic Mobility: Is the American Dream in Crisis, Selections from the Hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Policy (2019) The Income and Wealth Inequality Crisis in America, Selections from Hearing before the Senate Committee on the Budget (2021) Bernie Sanders’s State of the Working Class Speech (2023) 6. Resources Books Articles and Reports Non-Print Sources 7. Chronology Glossary Index About the Author
Christina G. Villegas, PhD, is Associate Professor of Political Science at California State University, San Bernardino, USA.
