Inquizitive Ch10
Identify the methods the federal government used to discriminate against Black Americans, effectively excluding them from many government benefits. -The federal government maintained control over the distribution of benefits -The federal government used seemingly race-neutral policies to block many Black Americans from receiving government support -The federal government ceded authority for providing benefits to the states and local authorities -The federal government established literacy tests for receiving benefits
Methods: -The federal government used seemingly race-neutral policies to block many Black Americans from receiving government support -The federal government ceded authority for providing benefits to the states and local authorities Not methods: -The federal government maintained control over the distribution of benefits -The federal government established literacy tests for receiving benefits
The MTO study examined the consequences of relocating poor families to low-poverty neighborhoods. Identify the outcomes observed and not observed among families who were relocated to low-poverty neighborhoods. -better school attendance -lower stress and higher happiness levels in adults and children -reduced rates of asthma and physical injury among children -higher employment rates and higher earnings among parents -fewer parents receiving welfare benefits
Observed by MTO: -reduced rates of asthma and physical injury among children -better school attendance -lower stress and higher happiness levels in adults and children Not observed by MTO: -higher employment rates and higher earnings among parents -fewer parents receiving welfare benefits
Identify the policies experts say would lessen economic inequality in the United States. -tax all working Americans at a flat rate -tax the wealthiest Americans more -increase the minimum wage -provide universal basic income to all
Would lessen inequality: -increase the minimum wage -tax the wealthiest Americans more Would not lessen inequality: -tax all working Americans at a flat rate -provide universal basic income to all Americans
Using the information in the figure, place the states in order from highest to lowest cost of living. -Washington -California -Hawaii -Texas -Florida -Mississippi
-Hawaii -California -Washington -Florida -Texas -Mississippi
Place the stages that contribute to the cycle of poverty in the correct location on the diagram. L, [Men leave their children and the children's mothers, either voluntarily or by being sent to jail or prison], R, Bottom -Boys grow up with no father figures who are positive role models -Young men have children before being properly settled and ready to support them -Men avoid women with children whose fathers might return
-L -Young men have children before being properly settled and ready to support them -R -Men avoid women with children whose fathers might return -Bottom -Boys grow up with no father figures who are positive role models
Sociological theories about the culture of poverty and the underclass have profoundly shaped American views of poverty, and poverty research as well. Place the publications in order from earliest to most recent.
-Oscar Lewis write "The Culture of Poverty," where he argues that poor people adopt practices that prevent them from getting ahead. -Ken Auletta writes, in the New Yorker, that the "underclass" are increasingly deviant and dangerous -Charles Murray writes Losing Ground, in which he argues that the behavior of the poor is a rational response to social welfare programs -Susan Mayer writes What Money Can't Buy, where she argues that the presumed causal effect of income poverty on children's outcomes had been overstated
Match the people to the role they played in helping or hindering the process of Black Americans gaining full participation in Social Security. -President Franklin Roosevelt -President Harry Truman -Southern Democrats in Congress -signed legislation extending Social Security to sectors previously excluded -refused to approve Social Security unless it excluded certain kinds of workers -signed the legislation that established Social Security
-President Franklin Roosevelt -signed the legislation that established Social Security -President Harry Truman -signed legislation extending Social Security to sectors previously excluded -Southern Democrats in Congress -refused to approve Social Security unless it excluded certain kinds of workers
The Move to Opportunity (MTO) study of the 1990s was the converse of the negative income tax of the 1960s and 1970s. The MTO study changed families' [] but not their [], whereas the negative income tax experiments did the reverse. Together, the results of these studies suggest that [] based on economic circumstance is a bigger source of social problems than [] itself. -incomes -locations -occupations -income inequality -social division -unequal treatment
-locations -incomes -social division -income inequality
Three different hypotheses have been advanced about the relationship between family poverty and children's development. Match each label to the corresponding hypothesis. -material deprivation -no effect -parenting stress -the same personality traits that make one successful in labor market also make one successful as parent -growing up in dirty, polluted environments makes children more likely to develop asthma and other health issues -parents who work long hours at low-wage jobs may be less patient and nurturing in their child-raising habits
-parenting stress -parents who work long hours at low-wage jobs may be less patient and nurturing in their child-raising habits -material deprivation -growing up in dirty, polluted environment makes children more likely to develop asthma and other health issues -no effect -the same personality traits that make one successful in the labor market also make one successful as a parent
According to the "Seeking SWF" Policy feature, trying to solve [] by creating [] is a misguided effort, because [] are unlikely to stay in the United States. Instead, many policy experts are trying to think of ways to protect individuals from the ups and downs of []. -poverty -racial inequality -investment opportunities -jobs -welfare -political parties -manufacturing jobs -the labor market
-poverty -jobs -manufacturing jobs -the labor market
With children, there is an apparent strong correlation between low family income and poor performance in school. How did Susan Mayer's research undermine the hypothesis that low income causes poor school performance?
Mayer found that parents' income when their child was in their twenties seemed to matter almost as much as parental income when that child was an adolescent
Identify the arguments David Grusky makes about the "perverse incentives" theory. -Grusky argues that the Clinton reforms of the 1990s removed any possibility of "perverse incentives" -Grusky argues that Americans are culturally primed to value work -Grusky argues that the poor are fundamentally different from the rest of society, and therefore respond to social program differently -Grusky argues that welfare encourages the poor not to work so that they can receive government assistance
Arguments: -Grusky argues that Americans are culturally primed to value work -Grusky argues that the Clinton reforms of the 1990s removed any possibility of "perverse incentives" Not arguments: -Grusky argues that the poor are fundamentally different from the rest of society, and therefore respond to social programs differently -Grusky argues that welfare encourages the poor not to work so that they can receive government assistance
Identify the characteristics of what Oscar Lewis calls the "culture of poverty." -What is rational and beneficial in the short term can hold a person back in the long run -People acting in their own rational interest tend to compete instead of pulling together -The culture of poverty persists even after external structural factors have changed -It arose with the advent of social media
Characteristics: -What is rational and beneficial in the short term can hold a person back in the long run -The culture of poverty persists even after external structural factors have changed Not characteristics: -People acting in their own rational interest tend to compete instead of pulling together -It arose with the advent of social media
According to Hernstein and Murray's 1994 study, identify the conclusions that can be drawn on the relationship between poverty and parenting patterns. -IQ is causally significant for poverty -Good parenting and economic success have a common cause -Government efforts to help people out of poverty are largely futile -The poor are by and large to blame for their situation
Conclusions: -Good parenting and economic success have a common cause -Government efforts to help people out of poverty are largely futile -IQ is causally significant for poverty Not conclusions: -The poor are by and large to blame for their situation
In this video, sociologist Matthew Desmond describes the consequences for family being evicted from rental housing (3:50-6:00). Identify the consequences Desmond mentions -decline in health -greater difficulty finding a new place to live -loss of eligibility for Section 8 assistance -job loss
Consequences: -job loss -loss of eligibility for Section 8 assistance -greater difficulty finding a new place to live Not consequences: -decline in health
Identify the factors that contributed to the rise in the eviction rate of low-income families, according to sociologist Matthew Desmond's study starting in the mid-1990s. -stagnating income -courts increasingly siding with landlords -rising rents -reduced government rental assistance
Contributing Factors: -stagnating incomes -rising rents -reduced government rental assistance Not Contributing Factors: -courts increasingly siding with landlords
In this video, sociologist Matthew Desmond explains how families with children have a harder time avoiding eviction when they fall behind in their rent payments than families without children. (5:40-end of video). Identify the contributing factors Desmond mentions. -Landlords see tenants with children as less trustworthy than childless tenants -Families with children fall further behind on their rent than childless families -Landlords believe that children attract the attention of authorities, such as police -Landlords see children as a source of property damage
Contributing factors: -Landlords believe that children attract the attention of authorities, such as police -Landlords see children as a source of property damage Not contributing factors: -Landlords see tenants with children as less trustworthy than childless tenants -Families with children fall further behind on their rent than childless families
Identify the factors that contribute to the "Aspen effect." -poor public transportation -high levels of wealth inequality -economic segregation -rising numbers of service workers -high housing prices
Contributing factors: -economic segregation -high levels of wealth inequality -high housing prices Not contributing factors: -poor public transportation -rising numbers of service workers
In 1963, Mollie Orshansky tried to define poverty in terms of income relative to the cost of food. This calculation eventually became the basis for the official poverty line in the United States. Identify the initial criticisms of Orshansky's definition of poverty. -The multiplier used to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living is too low -The multiplier used to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living is too high -The calculation should not use a multiplier to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living -The calculation should focus on the cost of housing instead of the cost of food
Criticisms: -The multiplier used to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living is too low -The multiplier used to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living is too high -The calculation should focus on the cost of housing instead of the cost of food Not criticisms: -The calculation should not use a multiplier to extrapolate from food costs to the total cost of living
In the wake of William Julius Wilson's research on employment and marriage patterns among the poor, identify whether or not the following policies were enacted in the United States to "make work pay." -A negative income tax was instituted for the unemployed -The federal earned income tax credit was expanded -Federal assistance money for child care was eliminated -A time limit was set on unemployment benefits -Income limits for Medicaid eligibility were raised
Enacted: -A time limit was set on unemployment benefits -Income limits for Medicaid eligibility were raised -The federal earned income tax credit was expanded Not enacted: -A negative income tax was instituted for the unemployed -Federal assistance money for child care was eliminated
Identify the factors that might prevent poor people from getting welfare benefits for themselves or their families. -cultural differences -having a disability -being employed -a lack of child care
Factors: -being employed -a lack of child care -having a disability Not factors: -cultural differences
The goal of the 1996 Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA) was to build on and expand the benefits provided to the poor by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. True or False
False
Identify the parts of the sociological definition of poverty. -prevents people from living with dignity -measured on an absolute scale -measured on a relative scale -involves material deprivation -caused by economic circumstances
Part of definition: -prevents people from living with dignity -caused by economic circumstances -involves material deprivation Not part of definition: -measured on an absolute scale -measured on a relative scale
Identify whether or not the following are potential outcomes of a sovereign wealth fund. -It would be difficult to predict one's total income each year because returns to shareholders would vary with the fund's performance -The fund would create a universal basic income, wiping out extreme poverty -More Americans would become investors, and perhaps try investing in other areas -Most Americans would receive some income every year, regardless of employment
Potential outcomes: -More Americans would become investors, and perhaps try investing in other areas -It would be difficult to predict one's total income each year because returns to shareholders would vary with the fund's performance -Most Americans would receive some income every year, regardless of employment Not potential outcomes: -The fund would create a universal basic income, wiping out extreme poverty
In the United States today, the official federal definition of poverty is based on a 1960s-era definition in which a family's income is compared to the cost of food and other core necessities, such as housing. Identify the problems with this definition. -What counts as a necessity cannot be defined once and for all -The same necessities can have very different costs from one part of the country to another -The definition ignores the cost of transportation, for instance to and from work -Defining poverty solely in terms of income ignores the role of wealth -People have fewer children today, on average, than they used to
Problems: -Defining poverty solely in terms of income ignores the role of wealth -what counts as a necessity cannot be defined once and for all -The same necessities can have very different costs from one part of the country to another Not problems: -People have fewer children today, on average, than they used to -The definition ignores the cost of transportation, for instance to and from work
Identify the reasons why the United States has greater income inequality than other industrialized nations. -As a relatively young nation, the United States has not yet had time to develop the same social safety net as other, older countries -Federalism and divided government lead to a patchwork solution to poverty -In the United States, capitalism predates equalizing mechanisms like collective bargaining and progressive taxation -Government corruption allows the rich to get richer while the poor get poorer
Reasons: -In the United States, capitalism predates equalizing mechanisms like collective bargaining and progressive taxation -Federalism and divided government lead to a patchwork solution to poverty Not reasons: -As a relatively young nation, the United States has not yet had time to develop the same social safety net as other, older countries -Government corruption allows the rich to get richer while the poor get poorer
Identify some of the shortcomings of the welfare bureaucracy in the United States today. -By imposing time-consuming participation requirements, welfare makes job hunting harder -Welfare incentivizes people not to work -Welfare fosters a culture of "learned helplessness" -Offices for certain programs are inconveniently located and have limited open hours
Shortcomings: -Offices for certain programs are inconveniently located and have limited open hours -By imposing time-consuming participation requirements, welfare makes job hunting harder Not shortcomings: -Welfare incentivizes people not to work -Welfare fosters a culture of "learned helplessness"
Identify each point as supporting either Matthew Desmond's contention that eviction can cause poverty of the alternative argument that it does not. -Being evicted is relatively common -Being evicted makes people more likely to lose their job -Being evicted makes it harder to find new housing -Being evicted is a symptom of being in difficult circumstances
Supports Desmond: -Being evicted makes it harder to find new housing -Being evicted makes people more likely to lose their job Supports alternative explanation: -Being evicted is relatively common -Being evicted is a symptom of being in difficult circumstances
In this video, sociologist Mario Luis Small explains to Dalton Conley how the rejection of Oscar Lewis's culture of poverty thesis went too far. Small starts by describing Lewis's views. Identify the virtues Lewis says are often undervalued in the culture of low-income neighborhoods. -punctuality -sexual restraint -hard work -physical courage -intelligence
Undervalued Virtues: -hard work -punctuality -sexual restraint Not Undervalued Virtues: -physical courage -intelligence
