Karen Seccombe, Ph.D./MSW, is a sociologist and Professor of Community Health at Portland State University, whose research focuses on social stratification and family sociology. Her work on the health and well-being of poor families, and on the affect of U.S. health and welfare policies, appears frequently in leading social science journals. She is the author of several other books including “So You Think I Drive a Cadillac?” Welfare Recipients’ Perspective on the System and Its Reform, Second Edition (Allyn and Bacon, 2007), Families and their Social Worlds (Allyn and Bacon, 2008), and (with K. Hoffman) Just Don't Get Sick: Access to Health Care in the Aftermath of Welfare Reform (Rutgers University Press, 2007).

The "Families in the 21st Century" Series Editor is Susan Ferguson, Associate Professor of Sociology at Grinnell College. Her own research interests include the never-married and women's health issues. She is the author of Shifting the Center: Understanding Contemporary Families, 3/e (McGraw-Hill, 2007).

Table of Contents

Chapter 1:  Putting a Face on Poverty            

                Dee

                Kate

                Robert and Maria

                Poverty is a Structural Problem

                Conclusion and Organization

Chapter 2:  Who Are the Poor, and What Exactly is Poverty, Anyway?

           How Many are Poor?

               How is Poverty Measured?

               Inequality in Wealth and Income

               Social Class

Chapter 3:   Living Poorly: Poverty’s Effects on Children and Their Parents

            Carlos

                Physical Health

                Cognitive Abilities and School Achievement

                Children’s Mental Health, Social Adjustment, and Well-being

                Consequences for Adults

                Pathways

Chapter 4:  How Americans View Poverty: Why Are So Many Families Poor?

                Historical Views About Poverty

                Current Views About Poverty

Chapter 5:   Welfare and Its Reform: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)

            History of Cash Assistance Programs

                Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF): “Ending Welfare As We Know It”

                What do Welfare Recipients Think of Welfare Reform?

                How is TANF Working?  Research Findings

Chapter 6:   Building Resiliency: Programs and Policies for Families

            Family Resiliency

                Food Stamp Program

                Health Insurance

                Head Start

                Economic Policies: The Earned Income Tax Credit

                Social Security

Chapter 7:  Can Poverty Be Eliminated? Lessons We Could Learn

            Reasons for High Poverty in the United States

                Comparative Family Policies

                Case Study: France

                Conclusion