FAMS 240

The meaning of health

"a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."

Structural theory of poverty

"ism" Laws that leave people out target people protect people race Examples: laid off work because business closed high cost of living workplace too far from residence retrenched retired (set by workplace)

Identified three forms of social capital

(1) Obligations, expectations, and trustworthiness of structures: one person doing something for another and trusting that he or she will reciprocate in the future. (2) information channels:Social relations are also important sources of information (3) norms and effective sanctions:norms that encourage young people to stay in school, refrain from sexual promiscuity, and avoid using drugs not only sustain certain actions but also inhibit others

Assets for the poor

- why people stay poor and are not able to leave poverty—sometimes for generations -Sherraden found that people become wealthy through three important means—homeownership, pension funds, and savings accounts -The accumulation of wealth in each of these areas occurs through structures that allow individuals to save money and increases their capital investment -income maintenance programs provide just enough income or kind benefits to keep people in poverty -eligibility criteria for income assistance programs typically forbid people to accumulate assets while receiving public assistance -Thus the structures of welfare programs affects individual behavior, but the behaviors of the poor are an effect rather than a cause of poverty -

Individual Development account (IDAS)

-Allowing poor people accumulate asset -earnings-bearing savings accounts in the name of the individual -every dollar deposited by an individual, an equal or greater amount of money is put into the account -Restricted accounts, so the money in the account can only be used for mechanisms that create assets over the long term

Poverty Gap

-Another way to measure the depth of family poverty by looking at how much the dollar amounts of family income vary from the poverty line -It is important because a family is considered poor regardless of whether their income falls one dollar below the fixed dollar amount of the poverty line or their income is many thousands of dollars below the line -We can calculate the income deficit per capita by dividing the average income deficit by the average number of people in that type of category -In 2006, the average family poverty gap was close to the average income deficit for families with single female heads of households ($8,859), married-couple families ($7,653), and families headed by a male with no wife present ($7,726)

Community level

-Bridging capital connects people who do not know each other together -Bonding capital brings people who already know each other together

The structural impact upon human capital deficiencies explains why some people lack human capital

-Children born into working and lower-class families enter life with fewer resources and opportunities, which, in turn, affects their life chances and outcomes

Social Capital Theory

-Combines macro and micro explanations of poverty -James Coleman developed the concept of social capital by fusing theoretical explanations for the actions of individuals from two disciplines—economics and sociology -each person has control over certain resources and interests in certain resources and events -Compared to more tangible forms of capital, such as physical capital (financial assets) and human capital (skills and knowledge), social capital exists in the structure of relationships among individuals acting on their own behalf or acting as "corporate actors" on behalf of formal organizations -financial and human capital are transferred to the next generation -Putnam found that trust and cooperation are a necessary precondition for economic development -Social leverage is the type of social capital that helps one get ahead

Neighborhood level

-Concepts of social capital help us understand the larger environment and how it contributes to increasing or reducing poverty - Loyalty and attachment to the neighborhood help it remain stable over time

Social Dislocation theory

-Grounded in evidence that poverty is graphically concentrated in urban areas -Urban areas of a city where the percentage of people living in poverty is extremely high, ranging from 40 percent to as high as 90 percent -attributed to urban industrial transition, changing labor markets, suburban growth, and the exodus of middle-class families from the inner city, as well as historical patterns of transportation and racial segregation -the movenment of jobs out of the city- urban industrial transition. -light manufacturing plants, heavy industry, and other types of factories close their doors or relocate away from central city-results in unemployment and underemployment -the decrease of resources in the local economy negatively affects small businesses and community services -

Population, demographic characteristics of who is uninsured in health

-Individuals who are poor and members of minority groups generally receive less primary health care -44.8 million in 2005 to 47 million in 2006 -Nearly three of every four uninsured low-income persons in America come from working families -Half of all white-collar and blue-collar worker have employer-provided medical insurance, compared to only 22 percent of service workers -underinsured families covered by insurance policies that have extremely high deductibles -

How experimental measures of poverty affect poverty line/level

-Its "headcount" approach identifies only the share of people who fall below the poverty threshold, but does not measure the depth of economic need; -It does not reflect modern expenses and resources , by excluding significant draws on income such as taxes, work expenses, and out-of-pocket medical expenses -It does not vary by geographic differences in cost of living within the contiguous United State -It is not adjusted for changes in the standard of living over time -Its strict definition of measurement units—"family"—as persons living in the same household who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption does not reflect the nature of many 21st century households

Monroe

-Progressive political ideology -support valuing families through recognizing and building on their strengths can assist families in improving their lives -Believes we talk less and less often of policies aimed at family supports, safety nets, and basic sustenance and more often now of targets, time limits, and independence -Collectivistic culture->collect taxes and help those in need -The author believes that people are poor for a variety of reasons that from bad personal choices (individualism) to structural and institutional forces that work against their best efforts (structuralism) -Suggests that we help build assistance short-term and long-term instead of penalizing the individuals by reducing other public supports (food stamps, health care, etc.) -We should build a safety net around work or to the individual's commitment to advancing his/her education or training, which would make every step a forward step towards the goal of self-reliance

Organizational level

-Research on nonprofit and for-profit businesses shows that social capital maximizes the group's ability to work together -Among organizations that develop low-income housing, the elements of social capital include long-term relationships of trust and reciprocity, shared vision, mutual interest, and financial nexus

The income-to poverty-ratio

-Shows the depth of poverty, how far below or above the poverty line household income falls, and how the level of poverty varies among different subgroups of the poor

Cultural theory of poverty

-The poor possess personal attitudes and beliefs that cause them to behave in certain ways (weak work ethic, early childbearing) that contribute to persistent poverty -The culture of poverty contributes to intergeneration poverty -The poor have conventional values and beliefs but cannot enter mainstream society because of blocked opportunities -Examples: teen pregnancy, Divorce, drug use/ alcohol, dropped out of school, born in a poor family, laid off due to lateness.

Gini Coefficien

-a summary measure of inequality that is often converted to a Gini index for ease of use -The gini index is the gini coefficient expressed as a percentage (ranges from 0.0 (income of every fam. Household is equal) to a max of 1(only 1 fam has income and every other is 0) -Quintiles can be used to see whether the proportion of the poor in the general population is growing or shrinking, the middle class is gaining or losing ground, or the rich are becoming richer - Top fifth (20%) of individuals commanded 44 percent of income in 1967

Poverty Guidelines

-administrative version of the poverty line for families of different sizes -2007 poverty guidelines set the poverty line or a family of 3 living in the 48 contiguous states at $17, 170 -Used to determine financial eligibility for several federal programs -Families with incomes up to 130% of the poverty guidelines are eligible for Head Start, Food stamps, and Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program - Eligibility for free and reduced cost meals through the nation school lunch and breakfast programs is set at 130% and 185%

Subjective measure of poverty

-an example of how problems are defined in relation to time, place, and the context of society -opinion polls are one way to measure subjective views of poverty -politics and values also play a role in shaping the way in which groups view poverty

"Rugged Individualism"

-belief that in a free market economy, individuals have freedom of individual choice and the opportunity to participate in the economy -If people participate in the economy and work hard, their lot in life will improve

Licher

-focus on marriage and teen pregnancy -Conservative political ideology -Supports family values; values held to be traditionally learned or reinforced within a family, such as those of high moral standards and disciplines -Some examples include waiting until marriage to have a child and staying married (no divorce) -The article focuses on single mothers because he found that marriage can benefit both the mothers and the children, and even end the cycle of poverty and welfare dependency which is often reproduced from generation to generation. (Individual Responsibility) -Cultural theory->behavior->having children when you are not married or not ready to support them -

Liberal and progressive

-has a responsibility to redistribute income through in-kind or money transfers to the poor -A capitalist market economy does not offer equal opportunities for all citizens to participate in economic growth and productivity -Even during times of economic growth, some families are not competitive in the labor market (discrimination) -It is society's responsibility to provide social programs to partially support its most vulnerable groups -

Income

-income is what he earns, and it consists of the inflow of cash. -income creates wealth if it is properly managed. -A person may have a huge income, but if he doesn't save, he will not be able to accumulate wealth -Income is usually expressed in monetary terms such as the total amount he receives as a salary, wage, profit, interests, rents, and other earnings for a certain period. -It is what a person earns and spends for consumption and also what he saves.

relative measure of poverty

-measures compare poverty to the prosperity of the rest of society --take regional and other differences in the cost of living into accounts, such as hosing expenditures, state income tax levels, and costs associated with caring for children -the relative poverty line is typically set at 50 percent of the median income in the U.S.

Social glue

-refers to the degree to which people take part in group life -It also refers to the amount of trust or the comfort level that people feel when participating in these groups -Social trust and group participation form a recursive relationship -Group participation helps build trust

Structural vulnerability

-research on the dynamics of exiting welfare and repeat dependency -His longitudinal study tracked a random sample of recipients at six-month intervals from Sept. 1980 to Sept. 1983 through the statewide Computer Reporting Network -Exit and reentry rates of welfare participates show that most people leave because of an increase in income or assets above the eligibility limit or lack of children under the age of eighteen -Female-headed families were the least likely to exit welfare and also the most likely to repeat a welfare spell -Most households headed by the elderly individuals left welfare because of death -Rank found that focusing on the attitudes, motivation, work ethic, and values of those on public assistance was not the answer -Individual characteristics were clearly linked to the ability to leave welfare -deficits in human capital put people in jeopardy of adverse structural forces such as plant closings, recession, and changes in the labor market from a manufacturing to a service economy -Social forces such as increases in family breakups, lack of child support, and race and gender discrimination also put these households at risk of poverty -uneven or limited distribution of services such as health care, job training, birth control, and housing

absolute measure of poverty

-set uniform statistical standards for measuring the economic well-being of an individual, a family, or a country -defined by statistics that determine a set yearly dollar amount above which a person is not considered poor and below which a person is considered poor -only the minimal amount of money needed to provide for basic needs

Lorenz Curve

-shows the percentage of total household income received by each quintile of the population, starting with the poorest group (divides society into 1/5 by income -tells us if people are doing well or not)

Social bridge

-the links between groups -Vital because they not only connect groups to one another, but also give members in any one group access to the larger world outside their social circle through a chain of affiliation

Poverty Threshold

-thresholds were based on family size, farm/non-farm status, sex of the family head, # of children under the age of 18 in the family, and whether or not adults in the household were over age 65 or of working age -economy food plan 1/3 -1969-decision that resulted in the indexing of the thresholds to the Consumer Price Index instead of the per capita cost of the economy food plan - The PVL serves as a general social indicator for evaluating the economic health of people in the U.S.

Conservative

-values place the responsibility for support and help an individuals and families -Government should not intervene -these value-based views about the role of government, individual, and the family create the political environment that surrounds the measurement of poverty

Wealth

-wealth is the net worth of an individual, that is, the value of all his assets minus all his liabilities. -It includes all his assets such as money, real estate, and personal property -It is the product of one's labor which satisfies all his needs and wants.

Individual theory of poverty

DNA- Disability lack of skills/ education psychological problems Examples: lack of education, living with disabilities, too old, sickness in the family.

Distribution of Income and Wealth

The median or average income can also be used to compare the economic situation of the poor to that of the rest of the population

two levels in understanding economic vulnerability

The more structural components of our economic, social, and political systems explain why there are losers in the first place

Overestimation of absolute poverty measurements

by tying it to the Consumer Price Index and ignoring substitutions that can be made by households to keep costs down, also occurs because calculations do not include welfare benefits such as food stamps, Medicaid, and housing subsidies

underestimation of absolute poverty measurement

not subtracting federal income taxes and social security taxes in the calculations, also occurs b/c the amount of money used to estimate the food budget is not sufficient to provide a nutritionally adequate diet, and geographic differences in the cost of living are not taken into account

Short-Term Poverty

often described as transitional, or intermittent episodes of poverty

Long-Term Poverty

referred to as chronic poverty, or persistent episodes of poverty

proverty

the state of being poor or deficient in money or means of subsistence refers to a lack of money or resources to provide for one's most basic needs -economic or material deprivation