Summary of the cost of racial and class exclusion in inner cities, Summaries of Sociology

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N. King,

Summary of the cost of racial and class

exclusion in inner cities

Summary of “The Cost of Racial and Class Exclusion in Inner Cities” Ghetto (Poor black lives) back into focus, because:

• Rising poverty
• Social disruptions, violence
• Degradation of public schools, housings in poor black neighbourhoods Increasing conservative ideology in US:
• Puts discussion regarding “ghettos” in individualistic and moralistic terms
• Discussion ignores structural changes of economy, society, polity
• Consistent with the image of “ghettos” in media (movies, magazines etc.) More accurate way to describe: Looks at ghettos as “underclass” describes emergence of ghettos as results of economy and class exclusion: rather than a welfare ethos Poor blacks today =/= poor backs before & poor whites, because:
• Poor blacks today concentrate at dilapidated territorial; which epitomizes social and economic marginalization
• Said concentration created a set of challenges for ghetto blacks o Deteriorated because of some factors: o Mass exodus of jobs, working class families o Decrease of qualities of public school, services o Unequal o Resources for economic stability in those areas, networks for parents, families, associates DISAPPEARED o Buffer from stable black working/middle class DISAPPEARED DEINDUSTRIALIZATION AND HYPERGHETTOIZATION Problems in Ghettos (out migration of working class etc) caused by: Industrial changes in the country’s urban political economy
• Decentralization of industrial plants
• Flight of manufacturing jobs to Sunbelt states, suburbs, exurbs
• Continued migration of blacks to Rustbelt central cities
• Deconcentrating of metropolitan economies
• Turn to service industries (banks, customer service etc)
• Corporate attacks o Attacks on unions o Two tier wage system explosion of low paying jobs Ghettos lost most of its previous organizational strength, leads to increase of social ills: Poverty, violence, crime etc.
• Current day ghettos citizens, dependent on outside forces (banks, politicians, realtors, white dominant class etc)

• Living in ghetto = more socially isolated (half of ghetto residents do not have partner/ defined person married to_)
• Marriages likely to end in divorces
• Employment status affects marriage
• Women more likely to have friends than men in ghettos (although rate still low) o Because women have higher rate of economic exclusion
• Diff rates and patterns of organizational participation (evidence to diff in social capital) o Blacks in low poverty and ghetto areas less likely to join a formal club (book club, political party, fraternal) CONCLUSION: THE SOCIAL STRUCTURING OF GHETTO POVERTY Economic deprivation and social marginalization should be discussed when talking about ghettos Rather than moral, individualistic terms