Poor Kids in a Rich Country

Poor Kids in a Rich Country PDF Author: Lee Rainwater
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN: 1610444620
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

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Book Description
In Poor Kids in a Rich Country, Lee Rainwater and Timothy Smeeding ask what it means to be poor in a prosperous nation - especially for any country's most vulnerable citizens, its children. In comparing the situation of American children in low-income families with their counterparts in fourteen other countries—including Western Europe, Australia, and Canada—they provide a powerful perspective on the dynamics of child poverty in the United States. Based on the rich data available from the transnational Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), Poor Kids in a Rich Country puts child poverty in the United States in an international context. Rainwater and Smeeding find that while the child poverty rate in most countries has been relatively stable over the past 30 years, child poverty has increased markedly in the United States and Britain—two of the world's wealthiest countries. The book delves into the underlying reasons for this difference, examining the mix of earnings and government transfers, such as child allowances, sickness and maternity benefits, unemployment insurance, and other social assistance programs that go into the income packages available to both single- and dual-parent families in each country. Rainwater and Smeeding call for policies to make it easier for working parents to earn a decent living while raising their children—policies such as parental leave, childcare support, increased income supports for working poor families, and a more socially oriented education policy. They make a convincing argument that our definition of poverty should not be based solely on the official poverty line—that is, the minimum income needed to provide a certain level of consumption—but on the social and economic resources necessary for full participation in society. Combining a wealth of empirical data on international poverty levels with a thoughtful new analysis of how best to use that data, Poor Kids in a Rich Country will provide an essential tool for researchers and policymakers who make decisions about child and family policy.

Poor Kids in a Rich Country

Poor Kids in a Rich Country PDF Author: Lee Rainwater
Publisher: Russell Sage Foundation
ISBN: 1610444620
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Get Book

Book Description
In Poor Kids in a Rich Country, Lee Rainwater and Timothy Smeeding ask what it means to be poor in a prosperous nation - especially for any country's most vulnerable citizens, its children. In comparing the situation of American children in low-income families with their counterparts in fourteen other countries—including Western Europe, Australia, and Canada—they provide a powerful perspective on the dynamics of child poverty in the United States. Based on the rich data available from the transnational Luxembourg Income Study (LIS), Poor Kids in a Rich Country puts child poverty in the United States in an international context. Rainwater and Smeeding find that while the child poverty rate in most countries has been relatively stable over the past 30 years, child poverty has increased markedly in the United States and Britain—two of the world's wealthiest countries. The book delves into the underlying reasons for this difference, examining the mix of earnings and government transfers, such as child allowances, sickness and maternity benefits, unemployment insurance, and other social assistance programs that go into the income packages available to both single- and dual-parent families in each country. Rainwater and Smeeding call for policies to make it easier for working parents to earn a decent living while raising their children—policies such as parental leave, childcare support, increased income supports for working poor families, and a more socially oriented education policy. They make a convincing argument that our definition of poverty should not be based solely on the official poverty line—that is, the minimum income needed to provide a certain level of consumption—but on the social and economic resources necessary for full participation in society. Combining a wealth of empirical data on international poverty levels with a thoughtful new analysis of how best to use that data, Poor Kids in a Rich Country will provide an essential tool for researchers and policymakers who make decisions about child and family policy.

Rich and Poor in America

Rich and Poor in America PDF Author: Geoffrey Gilbert
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1598840576
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

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Book Description
This work provides a thorough overview and analysis of the increasing gap between the Americans at the top and bottom of the economic scale. Rich and Poor in America: A Reference Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of—and possible solutions for—the growing disparity between those at the top of the economic ladder and everyone else, a disparity that has reached its highest level since the 1920s. Expertly researched and written, Rich and Poor in America explores a wide range of explanations for the trend that undercuts the U.S.'s "Land of Opportunity" image, including heavy immigration, weakening labor unions, globalization, and technological change. Separate chapters look at the issue chronologically and from a global perspective, while biographical sketches provide fascinating portraits of some of the "winners" in our winner-take-all society, as well as leading scholars and activists working on this issue. copywriter rewrite: Rich and Poor in America: A Reference Handbook provides an in-depth analysis of the widening income gap in the United States—a situation where, over nearly three decades, fewer and fewer Americans have made significant financial strides while more and more have seen their real incomes remain the same or decrease. Objective, expertly researched and clearly written, Rich and Poor in America looks at a wide range of explanations for the income gap, including heavy immigration, weakening labor unions, globalization, and technological change. Separate chapters examine the trend as it has evolved over time and from a global perspective, while biographical sketches provide fascinating portraits of some of notable successful individuals as well as leading scholars and activists working on this issue.

Poverty and Power

Poverty and Power PDF Author: Edward Royce
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
ISBN: 0742565793
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
Poverty and Power suggests that today's poverty results from deep-rooted disparities in income, wealth, and power. The rate and severity of poverty remain high, because millions of Americans are trapped in low-wage jobs, inadequately served by government policy, excluded from mainstream policy debates, and victimized by discrimination and social exclusion.

The Evolution of the Juvenile Court

The Evolution of the Juvenile Court PDF Author: Barry C. Feld
Publisher: NYU Press
ISBN: 147987129X
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 408

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Book Description
A major statement on the juvenile justice system by one of America’s leading experts The juvenile court lies at the intersection of youth policy and crime policy. Its institutional practices reflect our changing ideas about children and crime control. The Evolution of the Juvenile Court provides a sweeping overview of the American juvenile justice system’s development and change over the past century. Noted law professor and criminologist Barry C. Feld places special emphasis on changes over the last 25 years—the ascendance of get tough crime policies and the more recent Supreme Court recognition that “children are different.” Feld’s comprehensive historical analyses trace juvenile courts’ evolution though four periods—the original Progressive Era, the Due Process Revolution in the 1960s, the Get Tough Era of the 1980s and 1990s, and today’s Kids Are Different era. In each period, changes in the economy, cities, families, race and ethnicity, and politics have shaped juvenile courts’ policies and practices. Changes in juvenile courts’ ends and means—substance and procedure—reflect shifting notions of children’s culpability and competence. The Evolution of the Juvenile Court examines how conservative politicians used coded racial appeals to advocate get tough policies that equated children with adults and more recent Supreme Court decisions that draw on developmental psychology and neuroscience research to bolster its conclusions about youths’ reduced criminal responsibility and diminished competence. Feld draws on lessons from the past to envision a new, developmentally appropriate justice system for children. Ultimately, providing justice for children requires structural changes to reduce social and economic inequality—concentrated poverty in segregated urban areas—that disproportionately expose children of color to juvenile courts’ punitive policies. Historical, prescriptive, and analytical, The Evolution of the Juvenile Court evaluates the author’s past recommendations to abolish juvenile courts in light of this new evidence, and concludes that separate, but reformed, juvenile courts are necessary to protect children who commit crimes and facilitate their successful transition to adulthood.

Child Poverty in America Today

Child Poverty in America Today PDF Author: Barbara A. Arrighi
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 0313064121
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 779

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Book Description
In a 2004 study by the Annie E. Casey, Ford, and Rockefeller Foundations it was reported that a large number of American families are currently faring poorly in their struggle to provide for themselves. Low-income and poor families were found to contain one-third of all of the children in American working families. Low-wage jobs without benefits mean that families at or below the poverty line live a precarious existence. This four-volume set is designed to reveal, explicate, analyze, and assess the effects of an inadequate income on children. Each volume contains original essays written by an interdisciplinary roster of contributors. The first volume, Children and the State addresses policy and legislation that affect low-income families. One issue that is considered in this volume is the lack of a national housing policy in the United States. The second volume, Health and Medical Issues includes discussions on the status of Medicaid, the lack of mental health services available for low-income families, and the difficult-to-access healthcare for the rural poor. Volume three, Families and Children explores the effects of welfare reform, especially the issue of childcare and the increased work expectations of parents. Other compelling topics in this volume include low-income families and the Family and Medical Leave Act, poor children and the internet, and the increase in economic insecurity among low-income families who increasingly live on credit. In the final volume, The Promise of Education, universal pre-kindergarten, Head Start, and the education of immigrant children are all explored.

Children of Austerity

Children of Austerity PDF Author: Bea Cantillon
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0192518887
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 392

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Book Description
The 2008 financial crisis triggered the worst global recession since the Great Depression. Many OECD countries responded to the crisis by reducing social spending. Through 11 diverse country case studies (Belgium, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, and the United States), this volume describes the evolution of child poverty and material well-being during the crisis, and links these outcomes with the responses by governments. The analysis underlines that countries with fragmented social protection systems were less able to protect the incomes of households with children at the time when unemployment soared. In contrast, countries with more comprehensive social protection cushioned the impact of the crisis on households with children, especially if they had implemented fiscal stimulus packages at the onset of the crisis. Although the macroeconomic 'shock' itself and the starting positions differed greatly across countries, while the responses by governments covered a very wide range of policy levers and varied with their circumstances, cuts in social spending and tax increases often played a major role in the impact that the crisis had on the living standards of families and children.

From Child Welfare to Child Well-Being

From Child Welfare to Child Well-Being PDF Author: Sheila Kamerman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9048133777
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 442

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Book Description
This chapter provides a brief overview of the book highlighting the modest progress from child welfare to child well-being re?ected in these chapters, and the parallel movement in Kahn’s career and research, as his scholarship developed over the years. It then moves to explore the relationship between two overarching themes, child and family policy stressing a universal approach to children and social prot- tion stressing a more targeted approach to disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals including children and the complementarity of these strategies. Introduction To a large extent Alfred J. Kahn was at the forefront of the developments in the ?eld of child welfare services (protective services, foster care, adoption, and family preservationandsupport). Overtimehisscholarshipmovedtoafocusonthebroader policy domain of child and family policy and the outcomes for child wellbeing. His work, as is true for this volume, progressed from a focus on poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable children to a focus on all children. He was convinced that children, by de?nition, are a vulnerable population group and that targeting all children, empl- ing a universal policy as a strategy would do more for poor children than a narrowly focused policy targeted on poor children alone, As we ?rst argued more than three decades ago (Not for the Poor Alone; “Universalism and Income Testing in Family Policy”), one could target the most disadvantaged within a universal framework, and this would lead to more successful results than targeting only the poor.

The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality

The Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality PDF Author: Wiemer Salverda
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199231370
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 759

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Book Description
Comprehensive analysis of economic inequality in developed countries. The contributors give their view on the state-of-the-art scientific research in their fields and add their own visions of future research.

Handbook of Family Policy

Handbook of Family Policy PDF Author: Guðný Björk Eydal
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 178471934X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
The Handbook of Family Policy examines how state and workplace policies support parents and their children in developing, earning and caring. With original contributions from 44 leading scholars, this Handbook provides readers with up-to-date knowledge on family policies and family policy research, taking stock of current literature as well as providing analyses of present-day policies, and where they should head in the future.

Scholarly Resources for Children and Childhood Studies

Scholarly Resources for Children and Childhood Studies PDF Author: Vibiana Bowman
Publisher: Scarecrow Press
ISBN: 1461701856
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 298

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Book Description
Drawing together contributions from some of the leading scholars in the interdisciplinary field of children and childhood studies (CCS), this guided approach to literature searching in CCS provides background information about interdisciplinary study in general, and CCS in particular, as well as an outline of basic research practices.