Poverty Debate: Politics and the Poor in America

This insightful text provides a comprehensive review of research and arguments related to poverty in the United States. Throughout the work, Burton attacks those conservative thinkers who have traditionally presented the poor as lazy and unfortunate offshoots of a generally prosperous nation. In the course of overviewing poverty, he cites and summarizes numerous works by conservative authors, and he convincingly demonstrates that poverty in America is widespread and is not caused by a lack of ambition. The opening chapters address the theoretical and sociological dimensions of poverty, while later chapters probe the political aspects of poverty and the role of government in alleviating it.