Although more Americans are working than ever before, economic and employment trends over the past decade have resulted in low-income families falling even farther below the poverty level than ever before. The purpose of this oversight hearing is to discuss strategies to overcome family poverty. Testimony was submitted by six expert witnesses in…

Economic growth and federal assistance programs lowered the overall nonmetro poverty rates during the years 1959-80, but uneven distribution of benefits resulted in high poverty rates among rural counties containing populations with distinctive demographic, socioeconomic, and employment characteristics. The 100 rural counties with the highest…

Five papers which criticize Charles Murray's book, "Losing Ground: American Social Policy 1950-1980" are presented in this report. In general, the papers dispute Murray's thesis that the poor did not benefit from social policies but were, instead, substantially harmed by these programs. The papers (and their authors) are: (1)…

In the period from 1950 to 1970, there were 298 persistent low-income (PLI) counties in the United States, but between 1970 and 1975, 43 counties left the persistent low-income status (LPLI) due to private sector influence and earnings from mining and agriculture. LPLI counties were largely located in Georgia, Arkansas, and Kentucky. Most PLI…

This paper is an attempt to have an overview of poverty in one of the most affluent nations in the whole world, America, and what this means to its black population with special emphasis on the black youth. The purpose of this paper is: (1) to give a definition and some dimensions of poverty in the United States of America; (2) to find out the…

Authored by a political scientist, the study focuses on the impact of two alternative policies, "political strategy" and "service strategy," designed to deal with the problem of poverty in American society. The central concern is the effect of the policies on the poor. The service strategy assumes that the poor differ from the…

The major antipoverty strategies of the 1960's are analyzed--the conflict model of Alinsky, the welfare crisis approach of Cloward and Piven, and the new careers viewpoint of Riessman and Pearl. The latter strategy is said to have a greater "multiplier effect" on poverty than other approaches. Discussed are such specific strategies in…

Presented in this report is an extensive statistical profile of certain factors of the Appalachia region of the United States. The report is organized in such a manner that one can look at the entire region, at a particular state, or at a particular region of a state. Factors examined include population estimates (1965 or 1966); work force,…

This book is a joint venture by 13 scholars, and is a systematic and exhaustive study of a crucial problem. The nature of poverty and the social aspects of health and illness place health and welfare in a sociological framework. In this book the many ramifications of the poverty-health complex are examined and analyzed. Two chapters assess current…

This discussion places the ten years of the war on poverty in perspective and, on the basis of both the experiment in policy intervention and some recent trends, speculates on the nature and course of social policy over the next decade. The basis of and motivations for the war on poverty are reviewed as the primary concern of the first part of…

Those who are poor and reside in the rural pockets of poverty are at a cumulative disadvantage in United States society. Low educational levels, poor health, lack of competitive job skills, and a mindset restricted by poverty give little hope for mobility--especially in communities devoid of opportunity and supportive services. (JHZ)

This paper argues that community college models, especially in developing countries, can be victims of the vocational school fallacy, which holds that that two-year vocational/technical schools that ignore a general education foundation may not be an optimal means for solving worker needs. In addition, globalization has hastened a mirroring of the…

Examines persistence-related problems of American Indian poverty using metropolis-satellite (urban-rural) and world-system explanations. Links federal-Indian relationship and reservation economics to worldwide socioeconomic processes. Illustrates United States-world system relations as basis for alternative federal policies and addressing Indians'…

Summarizes Children's Defense Fund report: 84 of the 100 poorest counties for children are in the South; 79 of those are rural. Discusses racial differences in child poverty; child hunger; lack of health insurance; harsh state welfare policies; the working poor; lower southern educational levels; estimated costs of child poverty; and needs for…

The rural poverty rate declined and family income grew in 1998, but poor family incomes declined considerably. Most rural poor families had at least one worker. Poor rural workers tended to work part-time, live in female-headed families, and have a high school education or less. Rural working poor families relied more on assistance programs than…