Volume 7 – Issue 4 – 2003
Derek V. Price and Edward B. Reeves
Gary Paul Green and Christopher Mayhew
Cheryl Cheek and Kathleen W. Piercy
John S. Atkinson, Donna D. Whitsett, Isaac D. Montoya, Tiffany Carroll-Curtis, and Victoria Brown
“Stability and Change in Community Perceptions of Poverty: Evidence from Australia”
Peter Saunders
University of New South Wales
Abstract: This paper reports results from a survey of community attitudes to the meaning and measurement of poverty in Australia. The data indicate that most people agree with subsistence definition of poverty, while comparisons with an earlier survey show that there has been a marked shift in attitudes in favour of structural, as opposed to individualist, explanations of the causes of poverty over the last three decades. The data are used to estimate subjective poverty and to show that estimates of a consensual poverty line – defined using perceptions of the minimum income required to make ends meet – vary considerably over time. Finally, it is shown that subjective poverty is generally much lower than consensual poverty and that there is little overlap between the two measures.
“Student Poverty, School Accountability, and Postsecondary Enrollment: A Challenge for Educational Reform in Kentucky”
Derek V. Price
Lumina Foundation for Education
and
Edward B. Reeves
Morehead State University
Abstract: The Kentucky Educational Reform Act of 1990 promised improved academic performance by public schools and greater equity in educational outcomes. The present study relates postsecondary enrollment to school accountability-testing and student poverty. It concludes that nearly a decade after reform began, high schools with large numbers of poor students send a smaller proportion of their graduates to college than do high schools with fewer poor students. Further, impoverished high schools that manage to perform well on the accountability tests lag well behind like-performing affluent schools in postsecondary enrollment. The harmful effects of poverty on education are felt throughout the state and undercut the goals that are embraced by Kentucky educational reform.
“Hiring Welfare Recipients: Employer Practices and Experiences”
Gary Paul Green
University of Wisconsin – Madison
and
Christopher Mayhew
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Abstract: We examine employer hiring practices and experiences related to hiring former welfare recipients in Wisconsin. Data for this analysis were collected from phone surveys of a stratified random sample of 1266 Wisconsin employers. We conduct analyses of previous and anticipated demand for employers that have hired or are planning to hire welfare recipients. We find a relatively high level of previous and prospective demand for hiring former welfare recipients. Most employers report that the chances for promotion are either good or excellent, but about one-third of the employers said that the chances for promotion were fair or poor. The most serious problem reported by employers with hiring former welfare recipients is with absenteeism and tardiness, with one-half of the employers reporting a problem. The starting salary for the average welfare hire is $12,743 per year. About one-third of the recent hires, however, are working part-time (less than 35 hours per week). Employers in Milwaukee with a large number of women employees, a high vacancy rate and a large number of unskilled positions are likely to hire more former welfare recipients.
“Identity Paths: Women’s Experiences On and Off Welfare”
Cheryl Cheek
Pennsylvania State University – Mont Alto
and
Kathleen W. Piercy
Utah State University
Abstract: A qualitative study of McCracken’s (1988) multistage process for data analysis examined common events leading into and out of welfare receipt for women. In semi-structured interviews, twenty female former welfare recipients who are currently human service workers discussed their experiences leading to welfare receipt and the multiple barriers they overcame to become economically self-sufficient. They discussed common paths taken in and out of the welfare system and related identity changes they underwent. Results show support for identity theory by highlighting the effects of identity development in overcoming barriers and how identity salience affects the process of change.
“Employment and Income Patterns in a Study of a Chronic Drug Using and Non-Drug Using TANF Population”
John S. Atkinson
Affiliated Systems Corporation
Donna D. Whitsett Affiliated Systems Corporation
Isaac D. Montoya
Affiliated Systems Corporation
Tiffany Carroll-Curtis
Affiliated Systems Corporation
and
Victoria Brown
Affiliated Systems Corporation
Abstract: This study examines the employment, welfare, and earnings patterns of 244 current and recent Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients over a two-year period. Thirty-six percent of these individuals were classified as chronic drug users. Significant increases in employment rates and significant decreases in rates of TANF receipt were seen in both groups, but employment was significantly higher in the non-users. While hours worked and earnings increased over time, both non-users and chronic users who become employed are working less than full time and may be earning less than needed to overcome poverty. It is concluded that intensity of employment, as measured by number of hours worked throughout the study period, may be best achieved by promoting drug treatment while preparing recipients to find jobs with higher wages.
Thoughts on Poverty and Inequality:
“No Deals on Wheels: How and Why the Poor Pay More for Basic Transportation”
Howard Jacob Karger
University of Houston
Abstract: This article examines some of the hurdles faced by the poor in finding and keeping basic transportation. The article examines how the used car industry is organized, the difficulty the poor face in finding affordable used cars, the ins-and-outs of used car financing, and the organization of the fringe auto economy including Buy-Here, Pay-Here dealers and subprime financing. Also examined are loosely regulated fringe auto insurers and auto title pawns. Lastly, the author offers solutions to help remedy the deleterious effects of the fringe auto economy.