Wilson, William Julius. When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor. New York: Knopf, 1996.
Thesis: Joblessness creates a ghetto urban culture.
Short Thesis: New Urban Poverty=Joblessness
Long Thesis: The scene in the Southside Chicago ghettos is one plagued by violence, drugs, low levels of social integration and most importantly joblessness. The high concentration of joblessness (the new poverty) in the ghettos is a new phenomenon that Wilson argues is the most significant cause of the rapid deterioration of certain ghettos.
CHAPTER 2 Societal Changes in Vulnerable Neighborhoods
Short Thesis: Jobless=Worsened Social Problems
Long Thesis: The current concentration of ghetto joblessness in Chicago has been caused by numerous factors, including: economic transformations, segregation, out migration, immigration, a drop in wages, rapid depopulation, changes in the age structure, New Federalism, urban gentrification and highway construction. The already vulnerable ghettos were then left unable to cope with these compounding structural issues which have lead to even further problems.
CHAPTER 3 Ghetto Related Behavior and the Structure of Opportunity
Short Thesis: Joblessness=Ghetto related situation ally adaptive behaviors
Long Thesis: The high concentration of joblessness and the correlating structural causes of it has triggered certain ghetto related behaviors such as; violence, drug use and dealing, social isolation, laziness, lack of social control, apathy and low levels of self-efficacy, which further reinforce residents marginality.
Questions
1. Wilson seems to be arguing that mainly economic changes have caused the joblessness in the ghetto. I would certainly agree with Wilson that the neighborhood one resides in has profound implications for their structure of opportunities, but he fails to adequately discuss the conscious abandonment of the city and the historical racist factors that contributed. It seems as if he is trying to rally both liberal (structuralist) and conservative (behaviorist) ideologies.
2. Both environment and culture good. How environment creates and sustains culture as a situation ally adaptive response. Feels like he is talking about blacks. Lack of jobs is the cause of these problems more so than poverty. What about the strong racist reasons for that? Ghettos are not ok period. Justification for exploitation.
CHAPTER 4: The Fading Inner-City Family
Short Thesis: There is a substantial link between structural realities (joblessness) and cultural practices (norms surrounding the traditional family).
Long Thesis: The inner-city joblessness rate among men creates (reproduction/reaction?) a culture where the traditional family structure is not supported or encouraged, where marriage is seen as a (rational?) burden to both sexes, and poverty skyrockets and further limits opportunity.
CHAPTER 5 The Meaning and Significance of Race: Employers and Inner-City Workers
Short Thesis: Race has been overestimated as a cause of inner-city joblessness.
Long Thesis: Shifts in the economy have necessitated shifts in the traits desired in the workplace: hard skills and soft skills. Black males are not as qualified in either.
Questions-
In Chapter 4 “The Fading Inner-City family” I was unclear about what Wilson’s argument is. It read like a culture of poverty argument, that ultimately ends up blaming the victims for their disadvantaged position. Wilson portrayed the families through a deficit model and reinforced many “ghetto related” behavioral stereotypes. What was he attempting to convey in this chapter? Is it structure causes deficits or deficit is a rational response?
In chapter 5 Wilson completely downplays the effects that institutional discrimination has had against blacks in the workplace, like; selective recruitment. He mentions it than says it doesn’t really explain the problem. Wilson spend quite a bit of time discussing a few racist employers (which again downplays systematic discrimination) and seems to argue it is the culture of the inner-city jobless black males and their deficiency in “soft skills” that are to blame.
Newman’s chapter on family values provided another perspective to the “urban underclass” and their “ghetto-related” behavior.
CHAPTER 6: The American Belief System Concerning Poverty and Welfare
Short Thesis: Americans= conservative explanations for poverty
Long Thesis: The American belief system regarding poverty is one based on individual and dispositional traits which promote conservative reform strategies that focus on duties of the poor and not social rights.
CHAPTER 7: Racial Antagonisms and Race-Based Social Policy
Short Thesis: Reduce racial antagonism=need policies
Long Thesis: Racial antagonism has historical social, economic and political reasons so today race-based programs are not enough.
CHAPTER 8: A Broader Vision: Social Policy Options in a Cross-National Perspective
Short Thesis: Race neutral policies benefit all.
Long Thesis: Race neutral solutions will help everyone, but mostly blacks. Long term versus short term solutions, job strategies.
Criticism: Does not take race into account. Works from a deficit model.
Wilson, William Julius. When Work Disappears: The World of the New Urban Poor. New York: Knopf, 1996.
Thesis: Joblessness creates a ghetto urban culture.
Short Thesis: New Urban Poverty=Joblessness
Long Thesis: The scene in the Southside Chicago ghettos is one plagued by violence, drugs, low levels of social integration and most importantly joblessness. The high concentration of joblessness (the new poverty) in the ghettos is a new phenomenon that Wilson argues is the most significant cause of the rapid deterioration of certain ghettos.
CHAPTER 2 Societal Changes in Vulnerable Neighborhoods
Short Thesis: Jobless=Worsened Social Problems
Long Thesis: The current concentration of ghetto joblessness in Chicago has been caused by numerous factors, including: economic transformations, segregation, out migration, immigration, a drop in wages, rapid depopulation, changes in the age structure, New Federalism, urban gentrification and highway construction. The already vulnerable ghettos were then left unable to cope with these compounding structural issues which have lead to even further problems.
CHAPTER 3 Ghetto Related Behavior and the Structure of Opportunity
Short Thesis: Joblessness=Ghetto related situation ally adaptive behaviors
Long Thesis: The high concentration of joblessness and the correlating structural causes of it has triggered certain ghetto related behaviors such as; violence, drug use and dealing, social isolation, laziness, lack of social control, apathy and low levels of self-efficacy, which further reinforce residents marginality.
Questions
1. Wilson seems to be arguing that mainly economic changes have caused the joblessness in the ghetto. I would certainly agree with Wilson that the neighborhood one resides in has profound implications for their structure of opportunities, but he fails to adequately discuss the conscious abandonment of the city and the historical racist factors that contributed. It seems as if he is trying to rally both liberal (structuralist) and conservative (behaviorist) ideologies.
2. Both environment and culture good. How environment creates and sustains culture as a situation ally adaptive response. Feels like he is talking about blacks. Lack of jobs is the cause of these problems more so than poverty. What about the strong racist reasons for that? Ghettos are not ok period. Justification for exploitation.
CHAPTER 4: The Fading Inner-City Family
Short Thesis: There is a substantial link between structural realities (joblessness) and cultural practices (norms surrounding the traditional family).
Long Thesis: The inner-city joblessness rate among men creates (reproduction/reaction?) a culture where the traditional family structure is not supported or encouraged, where marriage is seen as a (rational?) burden to both sexes, and poverty skyrockets and further limits opportunity.
CHAPTER 5 The Meaning and Significance of Race: Employers and Inner-City Workers
Short Thesis: Race has been overestimated as a cause of inner-city joblessness.
Long Thesis: Shifts in the economy have necessitated shifts in the traits desired in the workplace: hard skills and soft skills. Black males are not as qualified in either.
Questions-
CHAPTER 6: The American Belief System Concerning Poverty and Welfare
Short Thesis: Americans= conservative explanations for poverty
Long Thesis: The American belief system regarding poverty is one based on individual and dispositional traits which promote conservative reform strategies that focus on duties of the poor and not social rights.
CHAPTER 7: Racial Antagonisms and Race-Based Social Policy
Short Thesis: Reduce racial antagonism=need policies
Long Thesis: Racial antagonism has historical social, economic and political reasons so today race-based programs are not enough.
CHAPTER 8: A Broader Vision: Social Policy Options in a Cross-National Perspective
Short Thesis: Race neutral policies benefit all.
Long Thesis: Race neutral solutions will help everyone, but mostly blacks. Long term versus short term solutions, job strategies.
Criticism: Does not take race into account. Works from a deficit model.