Poverty

1. Poverty • Defined • See page 161, L&L Chapter 6 • Absolute vs. Relative Poverty • Evaluate levels in terms of the standard of living • Standard of living, defined

2. The Poverty Line

3. The Poverty Line • Cost of living differences • Doesn’t hit the “Dream Line” • Assumes constant social mobility

4. Poverty • Based on a “nutritionally inadequate food plan” • The Trouble with the “Official” Definition: • It “excludes many people who define themselves, and whom most of you would define, as poor” (L&L 2010:162) • Intersects with other social problems and institutions

5. The extent of poverty • U.S. has the rate in the developed world • More in poverty, though have a higher poverty rate • 1 of every 5 children live in poverty (2006) • “there is also a core of people who remain in poverty, an underclass that experiences chronic hunger and malnutrition, unemployment, and substandard housing” (Lauer and Lauer xxxx:164) • The Working Poor

6. Poverty – some impacts • Higher rate of infant mortality • More likely to • More likely to be • More likely to • Lower levels of social trust • Less likely to participate in civic life • A “small” problem (to us) might be a major life impediment to the poor

7. Poverty – debunking the myths • The more money we have, the happier we are • Only to a certain point… • Perceived happiness • What does it mean to be poor?

8. Poverty – debunking the myths • Myth 1 – “Welfare people are lazy…” • Myth 2 – “Welfare makes life easy…” • Myth 3 – “People become addicted to welfare…”

9. The Values of Poverty • Autonomy • Equal opportunity • Security • Change • Power(lessness)

10. The Structural causes of Poverty • Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power

11. The Structural causes of Poverty • Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power • Game is “rigged” toward middle and upper classes. • 3 ways the economy hurts the poor

12. The Structural causes of Poverty • 3 ways the economy hurts the poor

13. The Structural causes of Poverty • Poverty and Families • Families in poverty tend to: • Class differences in family life

14. The Structural causes of Poverty • Poverty and Education • Children in poverty

15. Social Psychological impacts of poverty • Disparagement and Discrimination • The self-fulfilling prophecy • Value of “individualism” as a value

16. Race and Ethnicity • Race defined • Ethnic group defined • Tables on p. 228, 236 of readings • The social construction of race

17. Race and Ethnicity • Voter disenfranchisement • “Life chances” • Institutional racism • Racial threat hypothesis • 3 ways institutional racism is in the economy • Prejudice defined • Common fallacies