WP 06-07: The Role of Social Capital in Poverty Alleviation in Native American Reservation Communities
Kathleen Pickering, David Mushinski, John C. Allen
February, 2006

Researchers’ and practitioners’ recognition of the importance of community social and cultural relations ( “social capital”) to effective implementation of poverty reduction projects and differences in social capital across communities suggest that such projects should be tailored to the types of social capital present in a given community. Drawing upon a data set collected by the Northwest Area Foundation of twelve Native American communities which includes a wide array of questions regarding social capital, this paper evaluates the different types of social capital in each community and considers the implications of that capital for the types of poverty reduction programs which would be effective in each community. We find differences in social capital across the communities in the study, with resulting differing implications for economic development and poverty reduction projects. Our results support observations that social capital is a community-specific phenomenon and must, therefore, be studied at the local level.

WP 06-06: Work, Welfare, and the Informal Economy: An Examination of Family Livelihood Strategies in Rural Pennsylvania
Tim Slack
February, 2006

Drawing on data from a survey of family households in nonmetropolitan Pennsylvania, this paper examines how rural families combine participation in the formal labor market, government assistance programs, and informal economic activities (for cash, barter, and savings) to make ends meet. Overall, the results show that participation in a varied livelihood strategy is widespread. The results show greater formal labor force participation among higher income families, and greater participation in assistance programs among lower income families. Engagement in the informal economy, however, is shown to differ little by household income. Implications for future research and efforts aimed at poverty alleviation and community development are then discussed.

WP 06-05: Theories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community Development
Ted K. Bradshaw
February, 2006

In this paper I explore how five competing theories of poverty shape anti-poverty strategies. Since most rural community development efforts aim to relieve causes or symptoms of poverty, it makes a difference which theory of poverty is believed to be responsible for the problem being addressed. In this paper five theories of poverty are distilled from the literature. It will be shown that these theories of poverty place its origin from 1) individual deficiencies, 2) cultural belief systems that support subcultures in poverty, 3) political-economic distortions, 4) geographical disparities, or 5) cumulative and circumstantial origins. Then, I show how each theory of poverty finds expression in common policy discussion and community development programs aimed to address the causes of poverty. Building a full understanding of each of these competing theories of poverty shows how they shape different community development approaches. While no one theory explains all instances of poverty, this paper aims to show how community development practices that address the complex and overlapping sources of poverty more effectively reduce poverty compared to programs that address a single theory.

WP 06-04: Work and Welfare Strategies Among Single Mothers in Rural New England: The Role of Social Networks and Social Support
Sally Ward and Heather Turner
February, 2006

Since the passage of the welfare reform legislation of 1996, social scientists have studied the impact of reform on poverty, work effort, and well-being among those affected. Most of the research documents the decline in welfare rolls since 1996, the increase in work effort associated with this decline, and the strategies the poor have relied on to make ends meet in the context of a new policy context. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the role of social networks and social support as key factors in the reliance on work or welfare among rural single mothers.

WP 06-03: We’re Like the Wrong Side of the Tracks: Upscale Suburban Development, Social Inequality, and Rural Mobile Home Park Residence
Katherine A. MacTavish
February, 2006

Given the emerging social stratification of post-agrarian small towns, potential effects are apt to be exacerbated for rural poor families such as those residing mobile home parks, a now characteristic rural neighborhood form. While a mobile home park offers affordable access to the American Dream of homeownerships specific factors appear to suggest that social costs are attached to such access. This paper examines the intersection between upscale suburban development and social disadvantage. Drawing on survey and ethnographic field studies findings reveal distinct conditional features of place associated with upscale suburban development that determine the nature of how rural inequality is emerging and what the implications are for working-poor families.

WP 06-02: A Community Based Framework for Understanding Problems and Exploring Alternatives: Connecting Underemployment, Poverty and Access to Health Care in the Mississippi Delta
John J. Green and Albert B. Nylander
February, 2006

Community-based research provides a useful framework for addressing social problems and exploring alternatives. This paper directs attention toward community-based research as a framework for better understanding inter-subjective views of poverty and exploring alternative intervention programs that are innovative and diverse. As an example of substantive research in this regard, results from two related mixed-method investigations (key-informant interviews, focus groups and telephone surveys) of underemployment, poverty and limited access to health care are synthesized. Discussion of these efforts and description of follow-up projects address the ways in which the CBR framework may contribute to the development of alternative policies and programs for workforce development, poverty alleviation and increased access to health care.

WP 06-01: Gender, Race, and Employer-Provided Job Training in Low Wage Jobs
Gary P. Green
February, 2006

Job training is an important factor in enhancing the economic well-being of workers. Technological advances, especially with computers, have led to dramatic improvements over the past decade or so in productivity and the demand for skilled workers. There are concerns, however, that many workers will be left behind in the shift toward a more “high-tech” economy. In particular, the persistence of gender and racial differences in earnings raises concerns that some workers may not be receiving enough training to be successful in the new economy.