1.  Defined ◦ See page 161, L&L Chapter 6  Absolute vs. Relative Poverty  Evaluate levels in terms of the standard of living ◦ Standard of living, defined

2. Persons in familyPoverty guideline 1$10,830 214,570 318,310 422,050 525,790 629,530 733,270 837,010

3. Cost of living differences Doesn’t hit the “Dream Line” Assumes constant social mobility

4.  Based on a “nutritionally inadequate food plan”  The Trouble with the “Official” Definition: ◦ It “excludes many people who define themselves, and whom most of you would define, as poor” (L&L 2010:162)  Intersects with other social problems and institutions

5.  U.S. has the rate in the developed world  More in poverty, though have a higher poverty rate  1 of every 5 children live in poverty (2006)  “there is also a core of people who remain in poverty, an underclass that experiences chronic hunger and malnutrition, unemployment, and substandard housing” (Lauer and Lauer xxxx:164) ◦ The Working Poor

6.  Higher rate of infant mortality  More likely to  More likely to be  More likely to  Lower levels of social trust  Less likely to participate in civic life  A “small” problem (to us) might be a major life impediment to the poor

7.  The more money we have, the happier we are ◦ Only to a certain point…  Perceived happiness  What does it mean to be poor?

8.  Myth 1 – “Welfare people are lazy…”  Myth 2 – “Welfare makes life easy…”  Myth 3 – “People become addicted to welfare…”

9.  Autonomy  Equal opportunity  Security  Change  Power(lessness)

10.  Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power ◦

11.  Political decision making and the distribution of political and economic power  Game is “rigged” toward middle and upper classes. ◦  3 ways the economy hurts the poor

12. ◦

13.  Poverty and Families ◦ Families in poverty tend to:  ◦ Class differences in family life 

14.  Poverty and Education ◦ Children in poverty 

15.  Disparagement and Discrimination ◦ The self-fulfilling prophecy  Value of “individualism” as a value

16.  Race defined  Ethnic group defined ◦ Tables on p. 228, 236 of readings  The social construction of race ◦

17.  Voter disenfranchisement  “Life chances”  Institutional racism ◦ Racial threat hypothesis ◦ 3 ways institutional racism is in the economy  Prejudice defined  Common fallacies ◦