National Poverty Center Series: The Colors of Poverty

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Given the increasing diversity of the nation, particularly with its growing Hispanic and Asian populations, racial and ethnic differences often lead to disadvantage. A multidisciplinary group of experts provides a breakthrough analysis of the complex mechanisms connecting poverty and race. The work reframes the debate over minority poverty by emphasizing the cumulative effects of disadvantage across generations. Contributors explore various factors contributing to widening racial gaps, including education, discrimination, social capital, immigration, and incarceration. Michèle Lamont and Mario Small address theoretical ambiguities in cultural explanations for poverty disparities, arguing that culture and structure collaborate to produce these disparities. Social psychologist Heather Bullock links rising inequality in the U.S. to increased public tolerance for disparity, suggesting that the ethos of rugged individualism undermines support for antipoverty programs. Sociologists Darren Wheelock and Christopher Uggen examine the collateral consequences of incarceration, proposing a link between legislation blocking former drug felons from federal aid and the black/white educational attainment gap. Joe Soss and Sanford Schram highlight how decentralized welfare programs can lead to different treatment of racial groups, even under "race-neutral" policies. This comprehensive volume introduces the dynamics of race and inequality, movi