A Time of Transition and Change Coming

A decade has come and gone since we conceived the idea for the Journal of Poverty:  Innovations on Social, Political & Economic Change.  Discussions of poverty and inequality were dominated by a conservative, even reactionary, rhetoric that held the poor responsible for their situation, that asserted that the poor simply needed to assume “personal responsibility” and work hard enough to escape their plight.  While many political and other public figures still espouse such punitive and mean-spirited notions, there has been a growing  recognition of how the conservative assault on the safety net begun during the Nixon era has only led to more and more misery for those at the bottom and to greater and greater riches for those at the top, not only in the United States but throughout the world – particularly through the doctrine of neo-liberalism.  We created this journal with the hope that it would provide an outlet for a more progressive discourse about poverty and inequality, and this issue completes our ninth volume in that project.

Many people have contributed to the success of our enterprise, and we are grateful to all of the authors who have seen the Journal of Poverty as an opportunity to present an alternative point of view about poverty and inequality.  During the past ten years, we have had an opportunity to become acquainted with many scholars and authors who have challenged the prevailing wisdom.  But we also feel that a time for change has come.  To remain fresh and open to new ideas, all journals should periodically go through a change in leadership, and we would like to announce that the Journal of Poverty is about to undergo a period of transition and change.

We will continue to co-edit the Journal through Volume 10 (2006), at which time Professor Segal will step down as co-editor.  She will continue her association with the Journal as an editor emeritus and a member of the editorial board.  Professor Kilty will remain a co-editor for Volumes 11 (2007) and 12 (2008), to aid in the transition to new co-editors, at which point he will also continue his association with the Journal as an editor emeritus and a member of the editorial board.  We are pleased to announce that Professor Maria Vidal de Haymes and Professor Alfred L. Joseph will begin as new co-editors of the Journal of Poverty, beginning with Volume 11 (2007).  Both have been members of the editorial board since the founding of the Journal.

Dr. Vidal de Haymes is Professor of Social Work and Loyola Faculty Scholar at Loyola University Chicago.  She teaches courses in the areas of social welfare policy, community organizing, and race and ethnicity.  She has published research concerning the economic and political incorporation of Latino immigrants in the U.S. and on child welfare, as well as poverty and inequality.

Dr. Joseph is Associate Professor in the Department of Family Studies and Social Work at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  He teaches introductory social work, social welfare policy, and diversity courses.  His research interests are in the area of school social work and school policies, federal drug policies, and poverty and inequality.

We know that we will be leaving the Journal in the most capable of hands.  We have known both of the new co-editors throughout their academic careers, and we share a common vision of the social problems and concerns facing not only our society but also those throughout the rest of the world.  Whether so-called “developed” or “developing,” or “northern” or “southern,” the countries that make up our world all face serious issues of poverty and inequality – issues that need to be addressed in new and innovative ways.

We share a common vision of why this Journal was founded and what it has done, including the support of innovative perspectives and research on poverty and inequality, the inclusion of diverse disciplinary perspectives and audiences, scholarship in pursuit of social justice, scholarship that contributes to activism and public policy discourse, research that addresses relationships and practices (whether individual or institutional) that produce and maintain various forms of inequality (e.g., race and ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, disability or any other social force based on social marginalization and exploitation), and support for diverse methodological approaches to inquiry and analysis.

At the same time, we know that the new co-editors will bring fresh and innovative ideas to this Journal.  While we are pleased with what we have accomplished, we realize that any project can always be improved.  One of the strengths that the new co-editors bring is involvement in international affairs.  Although we have seen a steady increase in the number of submissions from outside the U.S., most of our submissions and published articles originate in this country.  Both of our colleagues, though, have been active in endeavors elsewhere, including projects crossing national, linguistic, and cultural borders in the Caribbean, Latin America, and Europe.  We expect to see special issues focused on migration concerns, particularly the economic and social policy implications of internally displaced persons, refugees, immigrants, forced migration, and human trafficking.  In addition, both of the new co-editors have interests in race and ethnicity, detention-related matters and child welfare – all of which are likely to lead to special issues as well.

We want to thank all those who have helped to make this Journal a reality:  authors, board members, reviewers, advocates, supporters, and the editors and staff members of our publisher, Haworth Press.  Without the time and energy given by so many others, this project would never have happened.

Keith M. Kilty and Elizabeth A. Segal

Change of Editorial Office

Beginning June 1, 2006,

send manuscripts to

The Editors

Journal of Poverty

School of Social Work

Loyola University Chicago

Water Tower Campus

820 North Michigan Avenue

Chicago, IL  60611