Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty

by Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, Heather E. Bullock

Overview

What if the idealized image of American society?a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success?is completely wrong? Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric only ratcheting up in recent times. Our current era of fake news, alternative facts, and media partisanship has led to a breeding ground for all types of myths and misinformation to gain traction and legitimacy. Poorly Understood is the first book to systematically address and confront many of the most widespread myths pertaining to poverty. Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, and Heather E. Bullock powerfully demonstrate that the realities of poverty are much different than the myths; indeed in many ways they are more disturbing. The idealized image of American society is one of abundant opportunities, with hard work being rewarded by economic prosperity. But what if this picture is wrong? What if poverty is an experience that touches the majority of Americans? What if hard work does not necessarily lead to economic well-being? What if the reasons for poverty are largely beyond the control of individuals? And if all of the evidence necessary to disprove these myths has been readily available for years, why do they remain so stubbornly pervasive? These are much more disturbing realities to consider because they call into question the very core of America's identity. Armed with the latest research, Poorly Understood not only challenges the myths of poverty and inequality, but it explains why these myths continue to exist, providing an innovative blueprint for how the nation can move forward to effectively alleviate American poverty.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190881405
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	03/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	376
Sales rank:	973,983
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Mark Robert Rank is currently the Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare in the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost experts on issues of poverty, inequality, and social justice. He has been the recipient of many awards, and his research has been reported in a wide range of media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, and NPR. Lawrence M. Eppard is Assistant Professor of Sociology at Shippensburg University. His areas of research include poverty, economic inequality, and racial inequities. He has recently published the book Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality (with Rank and Bullock), and is currently working on a book for Oxford University Press tentatively titled On Inequality and Freedom. Heather E. Bullock is Professor of Psychology at the University of California at Santa Cruz. She also serves as the director of the Blum Center on Poverty, Social Enterprise, and Participatory Governance. Her areas of interest include the social psychological dimensions of economic inequality, as well as identifying the attitudes and beliefs that predict support for anti-poverty policies. She has published her research across a wide range of academic journals and is the author of two award winning books.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction Section I: Who Are the Poor? Chapter 2: Most Americans Will Experience Poverty Chapter 3: The Poor Tend to Live Outside of Impoverished Inner City Chapter 4: Poverty Spells Are Short but Frequent Chapter 5: Whites Comprise the Largest Racial Group Experiencing Poverty Section II: Why Is There Poverty? Chapter 6: Hard Work is Not Sufficient Chapter 7: Raising Education and Skill Levels Will Not Solve Poverty Alone Chapter 8: Decision Making is Constrained for Those With Fewer Resources Chapter 9: Poverty is Preventable Section III: What Is the Cost of Poverty? Chapter 10: America's Poor Are Worse Off than Elsewhere Chapter 11: The Economic Cost of Poverty Is Enormous Chapter 12: The Moral Ground to View Poverty Is Injustice Section IV: Does Welfare Work? Chapter 13: The U.S. Welfare State is Minimal Chapter 14: Welfare Fraud is Scarce Chapter 15: Government Programs Can Reduce Poverty Section V: How Extensive Is Inequality? Chapter 16: The U.S. is No Longer a Land of Upward Mobility and Opportunity Chapter 17: The Playing Field is Uneven Chapter 18: Inequality Matters Section VI: Pulling It Together Chapter 19: Why Do the Myths Persist? Chapter 20: Reshaping Social Policy Chapter 21: Creating Change Appendix: Further Readings and Resources Notes Acknowledgements

Editorial Reviews

"Poor Understood: What America Gets Wrong about Poverty attempts and, in many ways, succeeds at being the magnum opus of introductions to modern American poverty studies. In a well-written, straightforward, and data-forward approach, Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, and Heather E. Bullock manage to synthesize decades of poverty research toward relinquishing several of America's most coveted myths about social stratification." — Contemporary Sociology

"Every social worker and social work student who still believes that poverty is a choice should read this book because, as the authors explain so clearly, almost all of us will be among the poor at some point in our lives. The poor are not the Other; they are Us." — The New Social Worker

"Perhaps most important all, Poorly Understood teases out the misconception that poverty is not a racial problem or a regional problem but an American problem, giving labor and social activists a launching pad from which to delve into a deeper conversation with those standing on the sidelines and stress the urgency of the matter when it comes poverty in America." — Journal of Working-Class Studies

"Most useful is their call to action around awareness, myth-busting, and moving forward as a society with a clear lens on what people should do next to fight poverty." — L. T. Grover, CHOICE

"Read now, this account of the factors inhibiting change makes the trillion dollars spent on pandemic-era aid all the more astonishing ... Poorly Understood makes a persuasive case that the risks of falling into poverty are greater than commonly recognized ... the authors are right that poverty is more common than American "myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions" suggest." — Jason DeParle, New York Review of Books

"A clear, perhaps even elementary text, about the truth about poverty that debunks common beliefs. The authors clarify the truth about poverty and how better wages could make a big difference." — Jane Henderson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"The St Louis Post-Dispatch listed Poorly Understood as one of their 20 favourite new books in 2021." — St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"I have often wished for a simple, accessible book that could set the record straight — something not too jargon-laden, not too academic and not too preachy, the kind of book you could hand to a cynical street cop, your neighbor or your Uncle Fred, and expect that it might actually be read. In "Poorly Understood: What America Gets Wrong About Poverty," Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard and Heather E. Bullock have produced just such a book, setting out to systematically catalogue and debunk the most widely believed myths about poverty and the poor..." — Rosa Brooks, Georgetown , The Washington Post

"Poorly Understood dispels the myths that have prevented us from addressing our nation's shameful disparities in wealth and income. It should be required reading for every member of Congress. At least the ones that read." — Al Franken, Media personality, author, and former Minnesota U.S. Senator

"In clear and cogent prose backed up by solid evidence, Poorly Understood explodes the myths about poverty in 21st century America. It is not rare. It is not something that happens only to 'other people.' And the usual bromides about escaping it through hard work, education, and upward mobility no longer hold water. Poverty is more prevalent and deeper than in other industrial nations, and anyone who wants a clear-eyed analysis of why poverty persists and how it can be overcome needs to read this book." — Douglas S. Massey, Princeton University Professor of Sociology and past President of both the American Sociological Association and the Population Association of America

"This book is more than a data-driven academic exercise. Mark Rank and his co-authors are clear that there are solutions. Reading, I was reminded of my time as an organizer for welfare rights when we chanted 'Adequate Income Now!' and 'Mas Dinero Ahora!' Their final argument is the need to organize to make the change. It has certainly been my life's work, and I hope there are many that heed their call!" — Wade Rathke, Founder of ACORN International

"Poorly Understood presents essential evidence that will make it much harder for people to ignore poverty as it actually is, rather than as they think or hope it is. If truth matters, this book should have a powerful impact on the politics and policy of a crucially important issue." — Jennifer Hochschild, Harvard University Professor of Government and Former President of the American Political Science Association

"The American dream is that if you work hard you will get what you deserve. No book lays this myth to rest more clearly and persuasively than Poorly Understood. Sixty percent of Americans will live below the official poverty line for at least one year of their lives, one of dozens of points that will make you rethink poverty in America. And Americans must rethink poverty." — Jeff Madrick, Senior Fellow at The Century Foundation and author of Invisible Americans: The Tragedy of Child Poverty

"Why do we have so much poverty in America? Mark Rank and his colleagues tell us why. Read their book and you'll know the answer." — Peter Edelman, Georgetown University Professor of Law and former Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services for Planning and Evaluation

From the Publisher