The essay addresses both the question of poverty and the scope of political science. The study of poverty demands a transeconomic approach because the act of making an economic choice is fundamentally political, but the act is likely to be ambiguous and that ambiguity is peculiarly revealed in the politics of poor relief. While the idea of…

The concept of nonformal education (NFE) is explored in a series of team reports. These reports fulfill the first objective, knowledge building, of a program that will culminate in the application of the knowledge about NFE in developing areas of the world through consultation, technical assistance, workshops, and information dissemination.…

In the wake of welfare reform efforts, the government is willing to provide or finance a wide range of services for working parents and help them purchase child care and child health insurance. Taken together, these services represent a significant attack on child poverty. Based on a basic needs' budget for families and the high proportion of a…

The causes and consequences of homelessness have been the subject of considerable social science research. This report details recovery from homelessness, or "exits from homelessness," through analysis of descriptive demographic data and correlation of success rates with participant behavior and intervention context. The 2-year…

This monograph used a qualitative orientation to examine the inadequacy of public assistance income in New York City as it affects material conditions among welfare families, their attempts to mitigate the negative consequences of income inadequacy through coping strategies, and the broader social environment within poor communities. The data…

In the 1980s California poverty rates increased dramatically. Poverty rates were substantially higher in rural areas and for Hispanics, Asians, single-parent families, and children. The percentage of the labor force in poverty increased, and poverty rates were exceptionally high for the unemployed and for "discouraged workers." The…

Between 1979 and 1983 the noninstitutionalized Medicaid population grew by 210,000 people, or one percent. In comparison, because of a severe economic recession, there was a 37 percent increase in the number of people in poverty during the same period. The Medicaid population growth rate is relatively small for the following reasons: (1) Congress…

A decade's explosive growth in the scope, funding and complexity of national social policy has created serious problems in the United States. This first overview report notes that the Office of Economic Opportunity (now known as the Community Services Administration) has ceased to provide a focal point for national social policy. It was this state…

THIS ANALYSIS OF POVERTY IS PREDICATED ON THE VIEW THAT AMERICA IS DIVIDED INTO TWO SOCIAL CLASSES, THE AFFLUENT AND THE UNDERCLASS. THE "SUSTAINING CONDITIONS" WHICH RESTRICT SOCIAL MOBILITY FOR THE UNDERCLASS ARE (1) PUBLIC ATTITUDES TOWARD THE POOR, (2) THE EFFECTS OF PREVIOUS DEPRIVATIONS, AND (3) SUCH "INTERGENERATIONAL" BARRIERS AS RACE AND…

A consideration of nutrition and intellectual growth opens with a glossary of 12 terms and two reports on hunger in America, one by J.L. Frost and B.L. Payne, the other by the Citizens' Board of Inquiry into Hunger and Malnutrition. Included are articles on nutrition and intellectual development in children, by M. Winick; maternal diet, growth,…

The purpose of the study is to begin a detailed investigation of the low-paid work force and to focus attention on the determinants of low-wage employment, by dissecting the various forces that contribute to the determination of wage levels for full-time full-year workers. The question is whether low-wage poverty can be eliminated by upgrading the…

From 1994 to 1997, social welfare improved in Peru. Areas of improvement included decreased poverty and severe poverty rates, increased school attendance and literacy, and a healthier population. Most important among health improvements was reduced malnutrition among young children. Social improvements stemmed from the favorable overall economic…

The Neighborhood Jobs Initiative (NJI) began in 1998 in five cities (Chicago, Fort Worth, Hartford, New York, and Washington, D.C.) in 1998. The NJI targets high-poverty urban neighborhoods, attempting to connect residents to employment opportunities nearby and in the urban periphery by providing training, supporting interpersonal networks, and…

Summarizes the global efforts of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to ease poverty and help developing nations to build their capacity for sustainable development. Includes a glossary of poverty and human development terms, a human poverty index ranking for developing countries, and suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

This report proposes that state economic development policy and resources, and state personnel, with their knowledge of and access to the business community, can contribute to the intertwined issues of competitiveness and poverty. Following an introduction, chapter 2 examines four related issues: poverty, income equity, welfare dependency, and the…