Sites of Interest: Spring 2006
 Each year a group of junior and senior honors students working under the direction of Commonwealth College Dean Linda Slakey select the Dean's Book Course texts for the coming year. As part of this Capstone Experience course, known as the Dean's Readers Seminar, the students research various aspects of the selected texts. Their research produces original papers of the students' own, along with annotated bibliographies of print and on-line resources. We in turn make those papers and bibliographies available to current Dean's Book Course instructors and students who are conducting similar research.
Some documents presented by the Dean's Readers are in PDF format. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you may download it for free here.
Author and Background Information
This section includes biographical information on David Shipler, and contains annotations on his other three books. It also provides information on how the Federal poverty level is measured.
• Contributions from Dean’s Readers:
“Author Background” by Eytan Sosnovich.
“How the Federal Poverty Level is Measured” by Patrick Hennessy.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
Effects of Poverty
This section includes sources about the economic, physical and mental effects of poverty on the working poor, and contains information about mental illness, bankruptcy, discrimination, crime, rehabilitation programs, malnutrition, illiteracy, abuse and addiction.
• Contributions from Dean’s Readers:
“Handicapped and Disadvantaged: The Disabled Poor in America” by
Rachel Engelson.
Engelson discusses the varied definition of disability in America, different types of disability, and the relation of poverty to disability as the result of discrimination and exclusion from the labor market. The paper also details American legislation pertaining to the disabled poor.
“Employment with a Criminal Background”
by Patrick Hennessy.
Hennessy examines the difficulties of finding of a job with a criminal record. The topics of how ex-cons are treated, gain employment, training programs available, and how this affects recidivism are explored.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library
[view list]
• Online Resources:
Earnon, Mary Keegan. “Influences and mediators of the effect of poverty on young adolescent depressive symptoms.”Journal of Youth and Adolescence, June 2002 v31 i3 p231(12).
Earnon’s article details the connection between poverty and adolescent depression. The study was conducted on adolescents between the ages of 10 and 12 and covers many variables associated with poverty that can cause adolescent depression, including: father’s emotional support, lower levels of school satisfaction and marital conflict in the home.
Kahn, Robert; Wise, Paul; Kennedy, Bruce; Kawachi, Ichiro. “State income inequality, household income, and maternal mental and physical health: cross sectional national survey.”British Medical Journal, Nov 25, 2000 v321 i7272 p1311.
This is a journal article that explains a study conducted in 2000 that included 8,000 American women. It found that a large income gap between the rich and the poor can cause higher rates of depression and poor health in comparison with communities with a smaller gap in earned income.
U.S. Census Bureau. www.census.gov.
This webpage is the U.S. Census website. It provides a wealth of information on the poor in America, including the numbers of disabled Americans that either work or are unemployed, and can be sorted and organized by race, age and gender.
Labor Issues
This section features resources and materials to provide information about the numerous labor-related issues featured in The Working Poor. Topics such as labor unions, legislation, wages, job training, and the American Dream are included within these sources, with a specific focus on the role of employment relationships and examples.
• Contribution from Dean’s Reader:
“Employment Relationships: Affecting the Effectiveness of Work” by Katherine Jackson.
This paper describes the roles and responsibilities of both employees and employers in working relationships, the effects of various workplace behaviors, and presents Wal-Mart Stores Inc. as a case study with which to examine these issues.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
• Online Resources:
“Bureau of Labor Statistics.” U.S. Department of Labor. August 2003.
Government website consisting of an informational database about labor in the U.S. Statistics for unemployment, labor forces, occupational divisions, poverty rates, wages, demographics, etc. Includes studies and surveys. Fact resource, provides a governmental perspective.
“Comparison and Analysis of the 1996 Welfare Reform Bill and 2002 Proposals.”
This website takes a contemporary look at the 1996 act and compares them to proposed changes in 2002. This gives a modern look at how the reconciliation act is sought to be changed and altered. This website is run by the U.S. commission of civil rights.
“Does Job Training Work?”Wilson Quarterly 18:4 (Autumn 1994):50–51 (reprinted from The Economist, March 12, 1994).
Economics-based article critiquing the effectiveness of job training. Perspective that there are plenty of jobs for low skilled workers, real problems lie in work ethic, psychological issues. Comparisons to other countries show that the U.S. job training programs are the best—problems are “overstated.” Belief that general education is more important, calls for improving school curriculums. Anti-job training focus.
Ellig, Bruce R. “Employment and Employability: Foundation of the New Social Contract.”Human Resource Management 37:2 (Summer 1998):173–175.
Brief human resource article addressing the issue of employees as “assets” or “expenses,” outlines desires and relational obligations of each party, addresses the importance of a “company culture,” and the role of Employee Resource personnel. Stresses the need for mutual contribution, with the overall goal of benefiting the company. Employer/business perspective.
Friedman, Dana E. “Employer Supports for Parents with Young Children.”The Future of Children 11:1 (Spring-Summer 2001):63–79.
Well-researched investigation of employer-provided resources for working parents with young children. References the 1998 Business Work/Life study by the Families and Work Institute. Addresses both the employer and employee perspectives, “spillover” effects. Highlights history of traditional employer-offered benefits and recent changes, as well as inequality in availability of such benefits. Stresses good interpersonal treatment. Offers examples of support programs offered by different kinds of companies, as well as what’s needed most, and how the programs affect employees (also employer motivations).
Friedman, Dorian. “Business: Ally or Obstacle?”The American Prospect 15:9 Sept 2004: A15–A17.
Article addressing responsibilities and specific attempts by companies to create support services for their employees. Discusses programs most needed by workers (emphasizes child care), government acts meant to assist further (FMLA, FLSA), effects of support services on work ethic and motivation of employees. Notes company resistance, reasons: blaming costs, a lack of government aid, and school systems. How some use benefits as a P.R. move.
Grimm, Matthew. “Wal-Mart Uber Alles.”American Demographics 25:8 (Oct 2003).
Brief evaluative article with some stats on WalMart’s employment rates, average salary, example of meat cutters’ union dealings. Anti-WalMart slant. Some evaluative quotes, to be supplemented with other perspectives.
Hage, David. “Purgatory of the Working Poor.”The American Prospect 15:9 Sept 2004: A3–A6.
An evaluative article about support systems, with info evaluating the inconvenience, complications, and incompatibilities of existing systems for the working poor, the various existing services that different states have, and percentages of needful people actually receiving benefits. Identifies components of “service packages” needed to streamline the process.
Kim, Marlene. “The Working Poor: Lousy Jobs or Lazy Workers?”Journal of Economic Issues 32:1 (March 1998):65–89.
Economics research article with extensive references finds that for many people, working full-time year-round will not raise them out of poverty. Addresses different categories of working poor: disabled, elderly, layoffs, single parents, etc., designations between “acceptable” and “unacceptable” unemployment. Percentages of each group within the poverty threshold. Data from the March 1994 Current Population Survey. Employee-supportive stance, proposing gov’t subsidized minimum wages and expanding the EITC program.
Koonce, Richard. “The Changing Landscape of the American Workplace: An Interview with Labor Secretary Robert Reich.”Training and Development 50:12 (Dec 1996):24–29.
Primary source interview with liberal Clinton administration Labor Secretary. Emphasizes need for the “right” education, skills, connections. Says federal gov’t can’t shoulder all the responsibility, businesses should invest more in their human resources. Notes problems with job training programs. Also emphasizes employee-responsibility, rise in technology. Liberal governmental perspective.
Lawler, Edward E., III. “What It Means to Treat People Right.”Ivey Business Journal Online 68:2 (Nov-Dec 2003): 7p.
Article discusses advantages and disadvantages for the treatment of employees, “virtuous spirals,” examples of model companies (Microsoft, P&G). Employer-focused, neglects mention of the working poor—economically based arguments—but relates to interpersonal issues. Benefits, changes of employment contracts. Emphasizes rewards for skills (stock options) but no mention of job training.
Meyerson, Harold. “Wal-Mart Nation.”The American Prospect 15:1 (Jan 2004):46.
Evaluative article about the effects of Walmart, with stats on company size, employment rates, effects for unions, and bad human relations practices. Brief, no references listed, but more popular support for an Anti-Walmart perspective.
Mokhiber, Russell. “Corporate Bullies: The 10 Worst Corporations of 1998.”Multinational Monitor 19:12 (Dec 1998):9.
Personal opinion article citing corporations’ major human rights violations specifically with Chevron, UNOCAL, and Walmart. Good examples of companies that treat employees badly, but not in-depth. Needs supplemental statistics.
Mosisa, Abraham T. “The Working Poor in 2001.”Monthly Labor Review 126:11-12 (Nov-Dec 2003): 13–19.
Statistical analysis of the numbers of workers, poor people, and the working poor, as well as divisions into different occupational, age, gender, and race categories. Recent trends, explanation of “major labor market problems.” Data collected from the 2002 Annual Social and Economic Supplement to the Current Population Survey.
Murnane, Richard J. and Frank Levy. “A Civil Society Demands Education for Good Jobs.”Educational Leadership 54:5 (Feb 1997):34–36.
Persuasive article demanding a reformation of the current education system to promote “new basic skills”: hard skills, soft skills, and computer skills as the only way to succeed in the labor market. Wants to make college unnecessary to even the playing field for less wealthy families. Unique perspective blames the government/schools and workers themselves for not learning enough; neglects importance of specialized skills and more menial, less technological jobs.
Neumark, David and William Wascher. “ Do minimum wages fight poverty?” Economic Inquiry 40:3 (July 2002):315–333.
This research takes a look at minimum wage and sees the effect it has on the family financially. Some families seem to rise above the poverty level while others remain poor on minimum wage. This source includes calculations and statistics to further speculate how families are affected by minimum wage.
Newsome, Dwight. “Think Small One Customer at a Time. One Associate at a Time.”Business Perspectives 12:4 (Summer 2000):20
Propagandist article relating the “successful” business philosophies of WalMart (Respect for the Individual, Service to Our Customers, Strive for Excellence). Excerpt from an article in Discount Store News naming WalMart Retailer of the Century and praising the company “spirit,” listing of “Sam’s Rules for Building a Business.” Useful for making comparisons with recent accusatory articles and bad publicity about labor/business practices.
“Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.”
This website is straightforward and presents in full-text the Reconciliation act 1996. This is the actual document, not an interpretation.
Savner, Steve and Jared Bernstein. “Can Better Skills Meet Better Jobs?”The American Prospect 15:9 Sept 2004:A8–A10.
An evaluative article focusing on the combination of a lack of skills and a lack of jobs. Addresses the benefits of new programs like CalWORKs and QUEST. Calls for a reform of job training programs, to work in conjunction with employer guidance. Plan to “create jobs” as a solution. Discusses supports for employees to take advantage of, to better control home problems from work.
Schwartz, Joe. “Over the Rainbow.”American Demographics 9:4 (April 1987):56–58.
Reviews findings of a Wall Street Journal survey about the American Dream, how people currently define it, its characteristics and requirements, and how many people feel they have attained or not attained its goals. Needed income to achieve the Dream categorized by ages. Useful stats behind core beliefs about work.
Sen, Amartya. “Work and Rights.”International Labor Review 139:2 (Summer 2000):119.
Well-referenced article about the state of workers’ rights in a philosophical sense, how rights should not conflict with business goals but rather be a goal in itself. To be supplemented with facts on employment laws and workers’ rights in a legal sense.
Shuit, Douglas P. “People Problems on Every Aisle.”Workforce Management 83:2 (Feb 2004):26.
Brief article about the pending legal actions against Walmart including those from women claiming discrimination. Highlights past accusations of infractions such as forced unpaid overtime, undocumented workers. Compares turnover rates with similar corporations, explains connection between Walmart’s business philosophy and subsequent employee treatment. More evidence of Walmart’s bad employer-employee relationships.
Singh, Shailendra. “Power Dynamics: Managers’ Power and Perception of their Subordinates’ Behaviour.”Journal of Academy of Business and Economics 3:1 (Jan 2004):117–126.
Empirical business/economics study of the perceptions of power among Indian bank managers and the effects on their employees. Identifies different kinds of power behaviors and their effectiveness, helps explain motivations for good or bad employee treatment (i.e., way to regain feelings of powerfulness by refusing favors or refusing to be empathetic). Does not address U.S. managers but human behavior parallels can be drawn.
U.S. Department of Labor in the 21 st Century.
Large, in-depth government website, includes pages for the Employment Standards Administration, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Employment and Training Administration, etc. Source of info about various employment acts: FLSA, FMLA, OSHA, WIA, etc.
Families in Poverty
This section serves as a comprehensive resource investigating the aggregated effects of intergenerational poverty. It explores the causes and results of living at or below the poverty level. The resources encompass a wide range of factors that lead to economic strain amongst families. Family issues seen as relating to poverty are explored in depth with an emphasis on issues with psychological ties.
• Contribution from Dean’s Reader:
“Passing Down the Poor Trait: The Unbreakable Cycle of Family Poverty”
by Leah McCready Pearson.
Pearson discusses issues relating to teen pregnancy, single-mother households, child abuse, and inadequate living conditions, all of which contribute to the cycle of poverty that continues to be persistent in America today. The paper then addresses key aspects of the psychological perspective on poverty focusing on the role of individual characteristics. In conclusion Pearson notes recent statistics from the US Census Bureau emphasizing the prevalence of poverty.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
• Online Resources:
De Haan, Laura G., and Shelley MacDermid. “The Relationship of Individual and Family Factors to the Psychological Well-Being of Junior High School Students Living in Urban Poverty.”Adolescence 33.129 (Spring 1998) 27 January 2005
This article addresses the necessity of successful identity development for escaping some of the hardships of poverty. Individual effort to overcome is even better when in combination with strong family relationships that encourage achievement. Shows a good contrast to Moore’s book on children growing up in rural poverty, since this sample focuses on children and adolescents growing up in the city. Also mentions Erikson’s stages of development and how passing through these stages successfully is essential to a child’s development of a strong identity.
Evans, Gary W., and Kimberly English. “The Environment of Poverty: Multiple Stressor Exposure, Psychophysiological Stress, and Socioemotional Adjustment.” Child Development 73.4 (July-August 2002). 27 January
2005
A supplementary journal source focusing on stressors faced by rural children in poverty. Examines living situation, family structure, and health problems as a result of high levels of stress. Explores some of the problems resulting from a poor child’s inability to delay gratification and how it can lead to sex and drugs which only increases stressors. Connection made between poverty and psychological stress, and once again reinforces the role of parenting and environment in the way a child develops.
Goldberg, Carey. “Mental Illness and Poverty: Does One Cause the Other?”Boston Globe on the Web 8 Mar. 2005. 8 Mar. 2003
Recent article examining the link between mental illness and poverty based on the theory predicting that economic hardship sets the stage for psychological problems. Concludes that poverty serves as a cause, rather than a result of poverty while emphasizing the importance of both nature and nurture when it comes to mental illness.
Harding, David J. “Counterfactual Models of Neighborhood Effects: The Effect of Neighborhood Poverty on Dropping Out and Teenage Pregnancy.”The American Journal of Sociology 109.3 (November 2003). 2 February 2005
Journal article that examines past research and current research findings to explore the issue of children growing up in high risk neighborhoods. This study aimed to verify previous findings that neighborhoods were connected to teen pregnancy and drop-out rates by reducing earlier biases included in experiments. This technical source demonstrates how two major by-products and/or causes or poverty are agitated by the people and situations of the area they are raised in and become numb to.
“Healthier You.” 6 April 2001. Continuing Medical Education. 3 Mar. 2005
This website is both a medical and mental health website that discusses studies such as the Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3). This portion of the website focuses on child maltreatment, and how there are commonly economic aggregates with abuse. Discusses findings on differences in types of abuse across genders, socioeconomic status, and size of family. Gives a background on Child Protective Service’s participation in the NIS-3.
“Poverty: 2003 Highlights.” U.S. Census Bureau. Washington, 2004. 3 Mar. 2005
Reliable and thorough source of statistics related to the poverty level in 2003. Special poverty section highlighted poverty numbers based on age and race, with special emphasis on increasing problem areas. Other areas of the website included information on income and population estimates and changes.
The American Welfare System
This section presents material on the American Welfare system, including an analysis of the program from the nineteenth to twenty first century. Social Security, food stamps, WIC, and Medicaid are all covered in the section.
• Contributions from Dean’s Readers:
“Welfare: America’s Safety Net”
by Amit Shah.
Shah writes about how the American Welfare state has changed from the nineteenth to twenty first century. He includes analysis of Social Security, food stamps, WIC, and Medicaid.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
“Homelessness in the United States”
by Erin McManus (Dean’s Reader’s 2003-2004.)
McManus writes about attitudes towards the homeless and government welfare programs during the nineteenth century. She compares those attitudes with how the homeless are treated in the twenty first century.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
• Online Resources:
“Administration for Children and Families: Welfare Reform.” October 1, 2003.
This website is maintained by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is a comprehensive source on welfare. It contains documents on the 1996 welfare reform, statistics on welfare by state, and information on welfare by topic. The source also has many links to additional information.
Department of Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
This website is maintained by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. It is a comprehensive source with many statistics and data on employment, unemployment, wages, productivity, and the economy.
Medicaid Home Page. September 16, 2004.
This website is maintained by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services. It is a comprehensive source on Medicaid. It has a topical index on Medicaid, history of Medicaid, and statistics and data by state on the program.
“Welfare, How Welfare Began, History of, Reform, Welfare to Work.” Constitutional Rights Foundation. Accessed March 6, 2005.
This is a comprehensive website on the history of the American Welfare system.
“Women, Infants, and Children.” January 1, 2004.
This website is maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It is a comprehensive source on WIC. It has WIC’s mission statement, laws and regulation, eligibility requirements and benefits.
“The Future of Social Security.” March 6, 2005.
This publication is about the history of Social Security, the problems
the program is facing, and possible solutions
Effect of Globalization
This section presents material on international economics. It addresses the issues of globalization, trade liberalization, protectionism and outsourcing and how they relate to poverty. Perspectives on the outsourcing debate are detailed and analyzed in depth.
• Contribution from Dean’s Reader:
“Perspectives on Global Outsourcing”
by Eytan Sosnovich.
Sosnovich provides a timeline of events that have resulted in the unfettered system of global trade that exists today. This unfettered system of international trade has allowed for the controversial practice of outsourcing to occur. The major viewpoints on this issue are presented.
• Print materials available in DuBois Library [view list]
• Online Resources:
www.Americaoutsourced.com
An interactive message board, which has the views and opinions of people from across the globe on the issue of outsourcing.
Banister, Judith. “Manufacturing Employment and Compensation in China.”
US Bureau Of Labor Statistics. December 2004.
Much of today’s outsourcing has headed towards China. For example, Wal-Mart, the largest U.S. Corporation has recently been outsourcing many of its factories to China. The BLS report on China offers an intriguing table that point out the enormous wage discrepancy between U.S. and Chinese workers. For example, the report states that all manufacturing workers in China make approximately $.56-$.67 per hour. The federal minimum wage in the US by contrast is $5.15 per hour. Clearly there is a huge advantage for companies to move their factories overseas. This in turn takes away from the jobs of American workers at home. This argument plays right into the argument made by Shipler and others who feel that outsourcing hurts the American economy by taking away from American jobs.
Bhagwati, Jagdish. “Why Your Job Isn’t Moving to Bangalore” New York
Times. February 15, 2004.
Bhagwati provides a sound argument from the school of thought that believes outsourcing to be beneficial to the U.S. economy. He feels that in economic terms, the outsourcing of jobs is the same as importing and exporting goods. This is actually a prominent argument that many pro outsourcers hold. Importing and exporting goods is like global outsourcing, simply a consequence of the liberalization of global trade. Bhagwati is also skeptical of the numbers surrounding outsourcing, saying that the loss of jobs may be caused by other factors such as jobs being replaced by advanced technology.
Bhagwati, Jagdish. “What Enriches the Poor and Liberates the Oppressed”
The Times (London). March 2004.
This is another sound argument from the pro outsourcing perspective. Here Bhagwati argues that outsourcing and globalization promotes social moral. He believes that globalization and in turn, outsourcing promotes gender equality and diminishes child labor practices because it brings increased wealth to families.
Drezner, Daniel. “The Outsourcing Boogieman.” Foreign Affairs Online
Journal. May/June 2004.
Drezner, a professor of political science from the University of Chicago offers a view that essentially states that all the buzz over outsourcing is much ado about nothing. He claims that most of the numbers regarding outsourcing are vague, and that outsourcing has simply become a scapegoat for the current status of the American economy. He charges that the real problem of outsourcing is all of the excitement the issue is stirring up amongst America’s workers. Workers demanding government protection from outsourcing could act to limit outsourcing, as both Republicans and Democrats have jumped at the opportunity to please workers. This limit on outsourcing could weaken America’s role in global free trade. The decline of US global trade and not outsourcing would spell disastrous consequences for the US economy.
The Ethical Globalization Initiative.
The EGI is an organization that sees both sides of the outsourcing dilemma. EGI understands the need for global free trade, however objects to the negative consequences that outsourcing has created. EGI therefore advocates the creation of what is essentially an international Bill of Rights for workers. This would eliminate wage discrepancies and still allow for Global Free trade to exist. This organization provides an alternative approach confronting the outsourcing issue.
European Union. European Union in the US Facts Sheet.
The European Union has become one of the largest trading partners with the United States. The interconnected economies of the EU and the US represent 40% of global trade. This site does a good job of breaking down the types goods and materials that are traded between the US and EU.
“The Guardian of Free Trade” BBC News Online. May 18, 1998.
The article is a BBC news report on the history of GATT which became the World Trade Organization in 1995. The report has an excellent time line of the history of world trade events, which is directly related to the history of globalization.
“Jobs lost offshore underestimated” Infotrack, The Wall Street Journal.
November, 2004
This is a news brief that appeared in the Wall Street Journal in November, 2004. The article offers some concrete numbers on outsourcing from the U.S. Bureau on Labor Statistics. It then goes further to say that these numbers are probably underestimated. Through this source, one can see how difficult it is to estimate actual job loss caused by outsourcing.
Lacey, Marc. Accents of Africa: A New Outsourcing Frontier. New York
Times. February 2, 2005.
The article introduces a new Kenyan based company called KenCall, which promotes Western outsourcing. The company trains its employees to speak with specific accents, be it American or British. In exchange for a fee, KenCall provides what is essentially a cheap phone-based sales system. This source depicts how outsourcing is affecting a wide range of low wage jobs.
Sweatshop Watch.
The organization tells of a 1995 raid on a sweatshop found in El Monte California. This report provides evidence for the creation of the American sweatshop, which Shipler discusses. The creation of such a sweatshop and its horrible working conditions is most likely a consequence of outsourcing. Those corporations who chose not to outsource must compete with companies who have attained much cheaper labor by opting to outsource.
“Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” PBS Frontline. November, 2004.
Discusses how much of the success of the worlds largest retailer is based on taking advantage of trade liberalization. The site points out the economic dilemmas that have occurred as a result of the growth of Wal-Mart.
The World Trade Organization.
The World Trade Organization is an international institution that serves several key global functions. It works to liberalize trade, settle trade disputes, and establish a system of trade rules. Through the liberalization of global trade, the WTO has allowed for global outsourcing to become possible. It is worth noting that as the world’s chief non governmental organization responsible for liberalizing trade, the WTO has a substantial interest in promoting trade liberalization, and therefore plays down the negative consequences of this action. The site also provides a relatively non-biased history of global trade.
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