A combination of policy changes and wider socio-economic trends led to a dramatic increase in child poverty in New Zealand during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Higher rates of child poverty have now become embedded in the system and show little sign of resolving themselves. For a country which once took pride in being comparatively egalitarian…

Over the past few decades social policy in the UK and other major developed countries, has emphasised the provision of social care programmes to deal with vulnerable, deprived groups and communities. This reflects the increase in social problems such as addictions, homelessness and poverty which have occurred in that period. It also illustrates a…

The year 2006 marked the 30th anniversary of the publication of Michael Rutter and Nicola Madge's Cycles of Disadvantage (1976). As such, it provides an opportunity to take stock of debates over an alleged cycle of deprivation, both in the 1970s, and more recently. This article seeks to use historical methods in order to outline some areas in…

Identifies myths about the poor, such as attributing poverty to the breakdown of family, and responds to them with arguments from Richard Weissbourd's book "The Vulnerable Child: What Really Hurts America's Children and What We Can Do About It." Argues for using professional material like Weissbourd's book to better articulate and…

Addresses information-seeking behavior within an information-poor life style; examines knowledge gap theory and the role of interpersonal sources. Concludes that mass media do not respond to the needs of the poor. (AEF)

Describes early childhood developmental deficits associated with long-term poverty as indicated by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Suggests substantial disadvantages in cognitive development among young children in chronically poor families. Deficits appear in a variety of indices of cognitive or socioemotional development,…

Examined the impact of individual environmental and biological risks on the home environment of three-year olds in a sample of low birth weight, premature infants. Suggests that compared to nonpoor families, poor families experienced more multiple risk factors. Poverty clearly had a negative effect on the provision of learning experiences,…

Reviews important facts and findings from the research on the causes and consequences of teenage childbearing. Describes those parents on welfare and their life circumstances that facilitate or impede their success as young parents and ways of mitigating the adverse consequences of early childbearing for the young mothers and their children. (AA)

This book provides descriptive reports about people living in poverty in New York City (New York) in the period from 1964 to 1979 as a beginning to solving the problems of persistent poverty. Analyses of the problems of poverty have rarely been undertaken from the point of view of the poor themselves. It is argued that society will never be able…

Provides a history of youthful offenders and society's efforts at rehabilitation and punishment. Traces the development of correctional institutions from their early days in England to the current efforts involving intervention and prevention. Includes photographs, historical and contemporary statistics, and tabular data. (MJP)

Compares the relative plausibility of family processes and schooling opportunities as factors associated with sex and motherhood in poor communities. Suggests that young women who delayed onset of sexual activity, and who stayed at school even as teen mothers, had more positive perceptions of being students and of receiving family encouragement…

This first annual report of Minnesota KIDS COUNT focuses on key indicators of children's well-being and details the condition of children in each of Minnesota's 87 counties. Minnesota KIDS COUNT--as part of a campaign by Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota and Congregations Concerned for Children to end child poverty in Minnesota--collects,…

Traces the search for economic development alternatives that go beyond conventional neo-classical and Marxist theory and practice. Outlines case studies of social and economic transformation in South Korea and China and delineates the differences between similar attempts in Latin America and Eastern Europe. (MJP)

Summarizes the Report and Recommendations of the Independent South Asian Commission on Poverty Alleviation. Proposes an economic development approach that is based on a people-centered values framework and social mobilization. Profiles a similar program, Janasaviya, pioneered in Sri Lanka in 1989. (MJP)

Examines the consequences for children of life in families that receive at least part of their income from welfare. Suggests these children appear to complete less schooling, even after adjustment for other differences between recipient and nonrecipient families. Low family income and maternal employment are also found to reduce completed…