Abstract
Reviewed by: Ines Jindra, University of Notre Dame, IN, USA
In recent years, due to increasing inequality and economic problems caused by the recession, poverty and inequality have received renewed attention, and rightly so. New Perspectives on Poverty provides a broad overview of many diverse areas related to poverty, and is meant as a much-needed review of the field that is both readable and comprehensive. The focus of this edited book, though including historical trends since 1908, is on ‘the new reality of poverty in America’, with particular attention on the period since 2007 when the recession began. Whereas the earlier chapters take an in-depth look at what poverty is, the historical role of social welfare and ‘contemporary approaches to reducing poverty’ (p. xxii), along with different ideologies about it, the later chapters highlight how diverse populations are affected by poverty. Here we find discussions about groups at higher risk for poverty, such as older adults, homeless people, families (including military families), people with mental health issues and disabilities, veterans, as well as immigrants and refugees.
Some of what the authors describe is introductory and can be gleaned from other texts on poverty or/and social welfare (such as the nature of poverty, the difference between residual and institutional views on welfare policies, and the history of social welfare in the United States). But there are many chapters that add new and timely material, and are highly eye-opening, given recent global changes such as alterations in the funding of various human service organizations (Chapter 2), employment trends (Chapter 3), increased immigration (Chapter 9), changes in the family structure (Chapter 5), and longevity (Chapter 6). While Chapter 9 delineates the historical background of immigration and current trends pertaining to it, how and why immigrants and refugees are at higher risk for poverty than the general U.S. population, the ‘changing role of women’ (p. 407) among immigrants, and possible interventions on the macro-, mezzo-, and micro-level, in Chapter 6, the focus is on ‘poverty among vulnerable subpopulations of older adults’ (such as older women, those living in rural areas, and members of racial and ethnic minority groups) (p. 238). The authors also discuss related problems, for instance work and ‘economic vulnerability’ (p. 247), living conditions and arrangements, and physical and mental health concerns. Similarly, I also found Chapter 5, on families, women and children, of high interest. In this chapter, Kathryn Krase outlines not only contemporary demographical patterns (such as family structure and location) and historical trends, but also provides the reader with current data on outcomes for children in poverty. For example, she demonstrates that children in poverty are at a higher risk for infant mortality, childhood asthma, childhood obesity, and mental health issues, while at the same time having less access to treatment. Other disadvantages include lower ‘educational attainment’, a greater risk of becoming delinquent, of living in a family characterized by domestic violence, not to speak of experiencing higher threats of abuse and neglect themselves. In addition, Chapter 4 on homelessness stands out; I consider it a balanced portrayal of those that are affected by homelessness (and its various subgroups) and the underlying historical causes of this phenomenon, as well as of current trends such as lack of affordable housing and high foreclosure rates.
Overall, this book accomplishes what it sets out to do: to describe and analyze this ‘new reality on poverty’ from all sorts of angles, and to provide the reader with an immense amount of knowledge of the current picture. Interspersed throughout the book are case studies and tips for interventions, emphasizing the applied aspects. In this vein, the last chapter, entitled ‘What can you do?’ is also a valuable addition, since it takes a step away from a detached observer stance, illustrating examples of what everyone in the United States can do, ranging from the individual approach of volunteering to the political tactic of organizing.
In sum, written in a clear, straightforward language, New Perspectives on Poverty is an ideal text for undergraduate courses on poverty and social stratification, in both social work and sociology, and anyone else who wants to learn more about it. Without taking sides, it discusses both the liberal and conservative views on social welfare policies, thus effectively straddling the left–right divide. What it is not, however, is an in-depth theoretical discussion, therefore probably less suited for academics who want to understand one of these dimensions from all possible angles.