Abstract

Poverty is on the nation’s radar screen again—and there is a consensus building across the political spectrum that we need policies that (1) encourage work and make it pay, (2) support work-ing families, and (3) invest in educating poor children. We have good research that shows how important em-ployment is, and how much parents need support when they work. But programs and policies that directly support working families and their children are not enough. We also need policies that strengthen com-munity institutions and address the bundle of prob-lems plaguing people in poor communities. This paper shows how culture and politics perpetuate poverty by undermining core institutions in chronically depressed communities. In this paper I briefly summarize what urban researchers have concluded about how neighbor-hoods affect poor children, youth, and families; discuss