Why is poverty so persistent in the US?

• First, let's look at growth of the US economy (more recent), unemployment.
• Tax rates over time
• Growth does not equal distribution (here's another chart)
• US imports and exports over the last 45 years, proportions
• What about population?
• So . . . why has poverty been so persistent while the economy has increased six- to seven-fold?

Let's look at some possible explanations for poverty's persistence in the face of unprecedented economic growth:

• Is there a culture of poverty? Oscar Lewis' research

  • A culture--passing down from one generation to the next
  • 'self-defeatist,' difficulty delaying gratification (sound like McLeod's Hallway Hangers?)
  • Critiques (can we compare poor and non-poor behaviors?)
• William J. Wilson's theory of the underclass

  • industrial re-structuring
  • 'outmigration' of jobs
  • 'White flight' (outmigration of people)
  • those forced to stay suffered greater stresses on family, household economy, etc.
• Charles Murray's 'bell curve' thesis
  • smarter people do better in our society;
  • based on IQ tests, whites are smarter than blacks and Hispanics;
  • there is a correlation between intelligence and economic status;
  • there are genetic differences between the races. Thus intelligence is in large part genetically inherited, but unequally among different races/ethnic groups.
  • counter evidence:

    • Black and white children from similar backgrounds have similar IQs;
    • Black children adopted by white parents score higher on IQ tests (i.e., can't be genetic);
    • IQ gap between blacks and whites increases over time when unequal socioeconomic situations are held constant (inequality in schools, e.g.);
    • IQ scores for all groups have risen over last 50 years or so (are we all becoming more intelligent?)
    • Black children moving from rural to urban areas improve IQ scores (again, could this be a genetic connection?);
    • Research shows that quality education can improve IQ scores of any group, even those classified as mentally retarded;
    • Improving prenatal diets of mothers increases their offsprings' IQ scores (relationship between prenatal care and child IQ--Hernstein and Murray's book claimed that poor childrearing was a result of lower IQ.
    • There is little evidence of significant genetic differences by race
  • Herbet Gans and functionalism (Someone's benefiting ... )--power and politics
• Lareau's book and thesis?