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35 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What are the 3 ways poverty can be conceptualized?
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1. absolute poverty
2. relative poverty 3. official poverty |
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What is absolute poverty?
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-unable to meet their fundamental human needs.
-cannot maintain standard of basic diet, min health care, few personal properties such as clothes |
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What is relative poverty?
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-poverty is defined relative to the standards and expectations of people in a society at a particular time
-different standards as societal conditions change. |
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What is official poverty?
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-gov't def of poverty
-poverty line: 1964 fam spend 1/3 income on food so poverty line= 3 times the cost of a adequate diet. -Poverty threshold:adjusted each year for inflation, col. -Problem: people now dont spend that much money on food. more on housing, fun stuff |
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Describe how counting poor by official poverty line is greatly a political issue.
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-Conservative: if welfare was added to the poverty line the # of poor decline.
-Liberal: use of after-tax income as standard would up the # of poor so official pov line isnt high enough |
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What are the problems with absolute and relative poverty?
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-neither permit us to actually make a count of the poor or to measure poverty
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Explain Prez Johnson on poverty
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-war on poverty:creation of new antipoverty programs and angencies
-food stamps, wic, medicare |
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Explain Prez Nixon on poverty
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-expanded welfare for elderly
-SS and medicare |
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Explain Prez Reagon on poverty
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-market oriented approach:reduce role of gov't and its public policies & let corporations naturally run market
-corporate warfare -Results: 1. poverty remained, some decline 2. treatment programs decreased 3. rich got richer (due to market-oriented approach & corporate welfare) 4. job creation programs cut 5. hunger & homelessness increased 6. huge increase in inequality |
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Explain Roosevelt on poverty
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-RRR's: Relief for unemployed & poor. Recovery of economy to normal levels. Reform of the financial system to prevent a repeat great depression
-New Deal: 1. work (got ppl off handout) 2. help only deserving 3. maintain the family 4. temporary help |
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T or F: Those high on occupational hierarchy thrive in an expanding economy while the poor are increasingly filled by those who cannot find work that pays good enough wage.
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True
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The poor is not a homogenous group. So what is the difference among individuals considered poor?
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-economic class and lifestyle differ.
-working poor & underclass |
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What are the working poor?
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-living paycheck to paycheck.
-PT work and temp work -not poor enough for welfare -dont work enough for benefits -=more stress on this class bc they are often inbetween jobs, wage cuts, jobs lost to downsizing which leads to decreased standard of living & throwing them in with the ranks of the poor. -"invisible poor" bc they are in the work force with us, often rely on the service they provide in their service job ex waitress, hotel maids -may live below poverty line |
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What is the underclass?
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-few occupational skills
-undereducated -rarely employed -public assistance -chronic poverty -social & economic isolation |
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What is the underground economy?
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-underclass's illegal underground, unrecorded activities
-ex drugs and prostitution |
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what is the underclass debate?
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-cultural vs structural problem
-cultural: culturally deficient, lifestyle and values diff to mainstream society. something is wrong with them -structural:no skills and education to enter workforce bc of capitalism and individualism, globalization, downsizing, etc |
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Why are the poor poor?
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-individual vs structures
-individual explanation: 1. biological traits (social Darwinism):poor inherit deficiencies making them less "fit" than others. no longer believed 2. culture traits(culture of poverty): poverty is the result of a set of norms and values that is a characteristic of the poor. Assumption: the poor have diff values that are not compatable with society. Poor dont interact/socialize with upper classes so they dont know better values (born into it your stuck). Causal order: bad schools-bad neighborhood-bad surroundings crime for $. -structure explanation: 1. poverty results from limited access to opportunities (cycle of poverty) ex schooling. So diff values among poor a CONSEQUENCE of poverty NOT a cause like individual cultural explanation. 2. capitalist economy: industries and large corps control rate of economic development bc they create jobs and generate econ activity. Capitalist principle is to maximize profit so naturally some are losers-Deindustrialization. Capitalistic economy believe poverty is functional. undeserving can be blamed for their sit enforces individualism ideology, provide drugs to nonpoor, creates jobs like social work for nonpoor |
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What is the American view of poverty?
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-Half believe individual poverty is due to lack of individual effort
-Other half believe poverty is due to external circumstances - |
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T or F: individualism basically shaped gov't policies of the poor
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true
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Diff between deserving poor and undeserving poor?
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-deserving poor: poor not by fault. disabled, elderly, widowed, children, and those who work steadily but still dont earn enough
-undeserving poor: able-bodied, lack of ambition, irresponsible, morally weak, "should work" but dont |
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Explain public policies: societal values of liberty & equity.
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liberty view: ppl should rise or fall on their own efforts. Market naturally sifts out losers.
equity view: all members are part of the community. winners must help losers to receive society's wealth. -Public policy tries to find a balanced equation of this. -Liberty view (equality of opp) vs Equity (equality of condition) |
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What are social insurance programs?
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-SS and Medicare.
-Financed through payroll taxes -All ppl eligible regardless of econ status |
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Explain welfare reform
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-able-bodied recipients must work.
-failure to work within 2 years after start will lose benefits -on welfare for max of 5 years -(TANF) |
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Explain TANF
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-Fed $ given to the states to shape their personal welfare programs.
-moved more people into the workforce but still dont make enough to get out of poverty |
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What are the problems with the welfare reform or TANF
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-1. got workers quick into LF but couldnt keep them there. (single mothers bc of expensive child care in the US
2. the jobs were LW and dead end 3. welfare ignores the training and education needed Summary of reform: reduced welfare rolls but not necessarily reduced poverty 2. |
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1935 saw start of programs like
1. CCC 2. WPA 3. AFDC 4. SS 5. SSI explain them |
1. CCC: civilian conservation sorp
2. WPA: works project admin. workers hired to build schools, roads, post offices, etc to get ppl out of socially economic isolation, work ethic and skills 3. AFDC: aid to fam dep child. now TANF 4. SS: comes from payroll taxes. 5. SSI: for the old, blind, disabled poor |
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What was Prez Clinton reforms on poverty?
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-head start
-child vaccination programs -prenatal care programs -job training programs increased -health care |
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What were the worries of Clintons Welfare Reform Act of 1996? (TANF replacing AFDC)
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-either it would put chronically poor in and improve personal responsibility OR it would impose even more hardship on needy families
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What is the evidence of "success?" of leavers of pub assist?
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1. mainly in low-paying service sector
2. unlikely to work full time 3. no earnings growth 4. unlikely to have insurance 5. unlikely to have vacation or sick leave |
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What is a recent trend in poverty reduction?
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-Bush's marriage promotion plan
-when poor marry poverty declines bc it brings 2 earners together. -children benefit from having 2 parent household, more $ |
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What is affirmative action?
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-policy that dismantles institutionalized or informal cultural norms and systems of ascriptive group-based disdvantage and the inequalities arising from them
-attempts to promote an ideal of inclusive community by classifying people according to ascriptive identity |
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What is the background in AA throughout education?
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-universities can take race into account as ONE AMONG A NUMBER OF FACTORS in student admissions and fin aid to achieve student body and faculty diversity.
-no sep tracks or quotas. every applicant competes against entire class. -consideration of MANY factors in individualized review |
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What are the 4 major types of AA in employment?
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1. executive orders requiring action by gov't contractors and subcontractors. Ex: executive order 11246: cand dic against a person protected by title 7
2. Regulations requiring AA by public employers aka gov't agencies 3. Court-ordered AA (an after-the-fact remedy) court can order quota of not first offense. quotas are temporary. AA does not always=quotas, only in some cases. 4. Employers voluntary AA |
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Why the opposition to AA?
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1. misunderstanding AA
2. employer misconstrue AA 3. race and sex stereotypes 4. politics 5. media |
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Benefits of top 10% law in education?
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-top 10% can restore some diversity into public institutions
-But all minority groups are not benefiting uniformly from top 10% law:asians benefit most, blacks least -Top 10% law broadens opp in higher educ for non minority excluded groups like poor rural whites |
