Understanding the Nature of Poverty in Urban America

JAMES JENNINGS is a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the William Monroe Trotter Institute at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. He has lectured and published extensively on Black and Latino politics. Among his publications are Puerto Rican Politics in Urban America (Greenwood, 1984) and Blacks, Latinos, and Asians in Urban America (Praeger, 1994).

• Tables and Figures Preface Acknowledgments Introduction What Is Poverty, and How Is Poverty Measured by the Federal Government? What Kinds of National Policies Have Been Utilized to Manage Poverty?--From the New Deal to the Clinton Administration What Are the Major Characteristics and Trends Associated with Poverty in the United States, and How Are Race and Ethnicity Reflected in These Trends? What Are the Major Explanations for Persistent Poverty in the United States? What Are the Major Characteristics and Themes Reflected in the United States Welfare System and Anti-Poverty Policies? How Is the "Underclass" Defined and Explained? How Have the Poor Utilized Political Mobilization to Fight Poverty in the United States? How Does Social Welfare Policy Directed at Poverty in the United States Compare to Social Welfare Systems in Other Countries? Conclusion Notes Index