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Articles 1 - 4 of 4
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
The Truly Disadvantaged: Structuring An Agenda For Change, James A. Geschwender
The Truly Disadvantaged: Structuring An Agenda For Change, James A. Geschwender
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
This manuscript addresses the question as to how we may best structure an agenda for change aimed at improving the economic situation for the "truly disadvantaged." I have chosen to address this question within the limits set by existing political circumstances. Policy proposals are presented because they are believed to be achievable and would be effective if implemented. It is impossible to think about this question without considering the proposals presented by William J. Wilson in his pathbreaking book, The Truly Disadvantaged (1987). Consequently, I briefly describe the intellectual context within which Wilson wrote his book and analyze the basic …
Comments On William Wilson's The Truly Disadvantaged: A Limited Proposal For Social Reform, Bonnie Thornton Dill
Comments On William Wilson's The Truly Disadvantaged: A Limited Proposal For Social Reform, Bonnie Thornton Dill
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
This is an important book which has already had a major impact on discussions of poverty, race and public policy in the United States. Wilson is to be commended for his willingness to step boldly into the arena of public discourse in an effort to blaze a new trail between the "rock" of conservative thinking on the underclass and the "hard place" of contemporary liberal perspectives. His project-the refocusing of the liberal perspective and the definition of a bold new public policy agenda is inherently controversial. Wilson is quite correct in his assertion that the conservative perspective captured public attention …
Poverty And Electoral Power, Richard A. Cloward, Frances Fox Piven
Poverty And Electoral Power, Richard A. Cloward, Frances Fox Piven
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
The poverty of the American underclass cannot be overcome by any single strategy. But surely it will not be reduced without new government interventions in education, training, employment, housing, and social welfae. That raises the question of how the electoral power-especially electoral power exercised by the underclass itself-can be mobilized to win new public policies.
Mainstreaming The Underclass, David Stoesz, John Poole, Martha Joseph
Mainstreaming The Underclass, David Stoesz, John Poole, Martha Joseph
The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare
The underclass has become a prominent issue in American social welfare, yet welfare professionals have focused on maintenance as opposed to mainstreaming strategies in working with this population. A mainstreaming strategy would emphasize individual incentives, community reconstruction, and program reorganization, focusing on the social disorganization of underclass communities. The essay details specific programs in each of these areas: transitional benefits, Community Enterprise Zones, and Integrated Service Agencies, among others. Welfare professionals must find ways to stretch existing public resources and identify new private resources if they are to pose plausible programs for the underclass. The public image of welfare professionals …