Outline Anonymous assignment collection Division Evaluations Closing Thoughts and Suggestions: Wilson & Rank

Thursday’s class is mandatory: 4 point assignment

EC opportunities Pictures of actual tutoring…1/4 point if I use your picture…By e-mail tomorrow speimer@widener.edu Two volunteers for service learning table…4:30…1/2 point per hour…if more than two I’ll do a lottery

Last test will be on Tuesday April 27 On all readings, review questions and notes since first test

Week 6 through this week MC/TF to be done in class Hand that in and then essays

OPEN BOOK…You may bring your books and readings to use (NOT YOUR REVIEW QUESTION ANSWERS)

A Broader Vision

“High levels of joblessness, growing wage inequality, and the related social problems discussed in this book are complex and have their source in fundamental economic, social and cultural changes. They therefore require bold, comprehensive, and thoughtful solutions, not simplistic and pious statements about the need for greater personal responsibility”(Wilson 1996: 209)

“I hasten to point out that the following presentation and discussion of policy frameworks is not constrained by an awareness of the current political climate in the United States (Wilson 1996: 208)

Wilson’s Long Term Solutions

As we’ve already discussed, for Wilson the key to addressing urban poverty involves creating more good paying job opportunities If work disappears…try to create more work

He believes attention must paid to relationship between employment and

Family support and education

The “metropolitan context” (connection between cities and the suburbs)

Education Reform

National Standards to hold schools accountable…and the support that would enable schools in disadvantaged neighborhoods to meet the standards First part done…second part not

Equalization of Funding to close the gap between urban and suburban schools $ for more qualified teachers; teacher development;

curriculum development; computers, etc

Effective Public School Choice Program If Chester schools are failing, kids should be able to choose

schools outside of district…

Why does Wilson point to France as a model for family policy (Child Poverty, March 2005)

France’s Family Values “Among industrialized countries, the United States is

alone in having no universal preschool, child support or parental leave programs”(Wilson 1996: 215)

Three Interrelated Programs…support for these programs is strong because many are universal

1)Child Care Ecoles maternelles… govt. funded nursery school (Universal) Paid Leave for Parents of newborn

2) Income Support Grants to all families, not just poor families (Universal) Child support enforcement Welfare payments to single moms (Public Assistance)

3) Medical Care Coverage for all citizens (Universal)

Some of Wilson’s Concluding Thoughts…

Wilson suggest that the US does not provide a rational “school to work transition” for youth. Please explain what he means by this, being sure to cite the text in your answer.

School to Work Transition

For the nearly ½ who will not go to college, there is no real “systematic process to assist high school graduates to move from school into employment”(Wilson 1996: 216)

Kids tend to “flounder” around labor market for 5 or 6 years

Particularly problematic for urban poor in jobless ghettos Few training opportunities Little information on jobs that might be

available

Germany as a Comparison

Vocational Training

At age 16 kids must choose: College Bound, General Education or

Vocational/Apprenticeship 70% of those who don’t go to college opt for Vocational

Joint Business/Labor Sets qualifications Vocational Tract taken very seriously

Result is Very Highly skilled workforce…when you think of German manufacturing, you think of quality Audi, BMW, Mercedes Benz

Metro Futures

Wilson suggests that a more “metropolitan perspective” would help alleviate urban problems. Please explain what he means by “metropolitan perspective,” being sure to provide a concrete example of what this perspective has done or might do.

Metro Futures?

Wilson argue for a more metropolitan approach to governance

Need for more city and suburban cooperation

Allow cities to benefit more from the growth of the suburbs

Metropolitan governments, transit systems, tax bases, school systems, housing policies

Wilson, Rank and the Paradox of Poverty… I can imagine Rank listening to Wilson…

and agreeing that better education (improving the __________ capital) and metropolitan cooperation might help reduce poverty among the urban poor…but suggesting it won’t reduce poverty over all?

Why would Rank suggest this?

Rank…turning stools into chairs 5. Rank reflects on the challenge

of creating “adequately paying jobs.” Please briefly describe what he wants to do with the minimum wage and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Turning Stools into Chairs…

Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) a tax credit for people who work, but do not earn high incomes. http://www.irs-eitc.info/SPEC/

Earning $7.50 an hour and under $10,000 a year, EITC raises wage by $3 an hour

2002: 19 million benefitted…5 million pulled out of poverty (Rank 2006: 201)

Who bears the cost of this anti-poverty program?

Turning Stools Into Chairs

Raise it to a level that pulls someone out of poverty

Index it to inflation

Who bears the cost of this anti-poverty measure?

Rank…turning stools into chairs 6. Both minimum wage and the

Earned Income Tax Credit look to different parts of society to wage raises. Which method forces employers to bear the cost of reducing poverty? Which method asks tax payers to bear the cost of reducing poverty? If you had to pick one method, which would you pick, and why

Getting more chairs

I didn’t make you read it, but Rank also wants to create more jobs…a “much more difficult task.” Why is this more difficult for government to do?

Getting more chairs

Wilson suggests a number of models in which the US government could become the “employer of last resort.” Please pick any one of his models, and briefly describe how it would work.

Good idea, bad idea, possible idea?

Wilson Concludes

“Increasing the employment base would have an enormous positive impact on the social organization of the ghetto neighborhoods. As more people became employed, crime, including violent crime, and drug use would subside; families will be strengthened and welfare receipt will decline significantly; ghetto related culture and behavior, no longer sustained and nourished by persistent joblessness, will gradually fade.”

What do you think? Agree, disagree? Would Chester be any different if there were 50,000 good jobs on the waterfront?

Poverty in American

Do you think America will enact public policies that will successfully reduce poverty?

If you could to AC and wager on the poverty rate in 2020…higher, lower, about the same

13.615.6

6.3

4.3

0.3

-1

1

3

5

7

9

11

13

15

US UK Sweden Norway Lux

Poverty

US Poverty in Perspective, 1870-2004

05

10

1520

253035

4045

50

1870 1890 1910 1935 1944 1955 1970 1982 2004

Percent in Poverty

Next…Reflection, test…

I hope this class has increased your understanding…and insured that you’ll never be able to make this toast…