The political economy of urban poverty

This is a study of poverty in our cities―its causes, its composition, its dimensions, and its solutions. It is not a book which will please those who worship America's high standard of living. Nor will it please liberal reformers who say our social welfare policies have begun to eliminate the problem. (Indeed, it is suggested that urban poor exist in greater numbers and in greater misery than ever before, despite statistics to the contrary.) And it will not please radicals in search of support for abolition of the capitalist system because liberal reforms have failed in the past.In this book, Charles Sackrey analyzes the problem of urban poverty, pointing out the severe limitations of all existing data. He explains the different theories of the principal causes of urban poverty, in particular the poverty among urban blacks. Considerable attention is devoted to different methods of studying poverty and the important role each plays in determining the solutions finally offered for public consideration. There have been two basic kinds of antipoverty solutions over the past four decades: "liberal reform" and "revolutionary change." Having been at different times strongly sympathetic to both camps, Professor Sackrey has particular insights into the strengths and weaknesses of each. In the final chapters of his book he contrasts the past performance of each camp and evaluates what they have to offer for the future.