بازنگری طبقه زیرین (مطالعات AEI در سیاست رفاه اجتماعی)

Murray examines the current state of the underclass, which he defines as the population cut off from mainstream American life not because they are poor, but because of their problematic relationships with productive work, family, crime and community. He examines statistics on three 'markers' of underclass status - illegitimacy, criminality, and the dropout rate from the labor force - for four checkpoints from 1954 to 1997, and concludes that even at a time when many general and social indicators appear encouraging, nothing really changed for the underclass. They have disappeared from the national radar screen because they have been simultaneously subsidized and walled off through a growing use of 'custodial democracy', but Murray questions the ability of the U.S. to retain its political and social culture in the presence of a permanent - and possibly growing - underclass Outcroppings Of An Underclass -- Four Checkpoints -- Crime Versus Criminality -- Dropout From The Labor Force -- Illegitimacy -- Searching For Better News -- Did We Give Up On The Underclass? -- Why The Indifference? -- How Long Can We Manage The Underclass? -- The Question We Prefer Not To Ask -- About The Author. Charles Murray. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 39-42).