1. Poverty as a Social Problem
The Individualistic Perspective and the Structural Perspective
Individualistic Theories of Poverty and Inequality
2. The Biogenetic Theory of Poverty and Inequality
Genes, IQ, and Intelligence
Is It Better to Be Born Smart or Born Rich?
3. The Cultural Theory of Poverty and Inequality
The Origins and Development of the Cultural Theory
The Sources of the Cultural Deviance of the Poor
The Cultural Solution to the Problem of Poverty
Is the Cultural Theory Plausible?
How Well Does the Cultural Theory Know the Poor?
Do the Poor Differ from the Nonpoor, and If So How and Why?
4. The Human Capital Theory of Poverty and Inequality
Education Is the Key to Success
What You Know or Who You Are?
What You Know or Who You Know?
What You Know or Where You Work?
Skills Deficit or Jobs Deficit?
A Structural Perspective on Poverty-Four Systems
5. The Economic System and Poverty
Poverty and Economic Growth
Skill-Biased Technological Change
A Shift in the Balance of Economic Power
6. The Political System and Poverty
We're Number One: The United States in Comparative Perspective
The Structure of the American Political System
The Political Mobilization of Business
The Political Marginalization of the Working Class and the Poor
The Synergy of Money and Power
Policy Consequences of the Power Shift: Robin Hood in Reverse
7. The Cultural System and Poverty
The American Dream and the Ideology of Individualism
Beliefs about Poverty and the Poor
Strong Individualism, Weak Structuralism
The Right-Wing Ideology Machine
The Rightward Turn in Poverty Discourse
8. The Social System and Poverty
Social Networks and Social Capital
A Structural Perspective on Poverty-Ten Obstacles
9. Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (I)
Racial and Ethnic Discrimination
10. Structural Obstacles and the Persistence of Poverty (II)
