Poverty Knowledge
Social Science, Social Policy, and the Poor in Twentieth-Century U.S. History
Alice O'Connor(Author)
Princeton University Press
Published on 23. January 2001
Book
Hardback
392 pages
978-0-691-00917-9 (ISBN)
Description
Alice O'Connor here chronicles the transformation in the study of poverty from a reform-minded inquiry into the political economy of industrial capitalism to the detached, highly technical 1990s analysis of the demographic and behavioural characteristics of the poor. "Poverty Knowledge" is a comprehensive historical account of the thinking behind these very different views of "the poverty problem". It is a century-spanning inquiry into the politics, institutions, ideologies, and social science that shaped poverty research and policy.
Reviews / Votes
"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2001" "In this thoroughly researched and clearly written book, O'Conner offers a comprehensive look at the changing ways American experts have thought about poverty in the 20th Century. . . . A rewarding read." * Library Journal * "O'Connor provides the most up-to-date history of poverty and welfare in the US in this highly recommended [book]. . . . Her argument is unique, controversial, and convincing." * Choice * "Poverty Knowledge has many strengths. It is a well-written analysis by a historian with substantial experience in the not-for-profit organizations that funded and substantively influenced much of the production of poverty knowledge over the past two decades. . . . The descriptive materials alone will make this book an essential addition to the history of the social sciences. . . [It] will be essential reading for historians of the social and policy sciences."---Robert F. Kelly, Contemporary Sociology "O'Connor's book surpasses previous accounts of American approaches to poverty and makes a very significant contribution to critical writing on the welfare state."---Ruth Crocker, American Historical Review "A book that should be read by everyone engaged in poverty knowledge and social policy."---Deborah L. Little, American Journal of Sociology "This deeply researched and panoramic book is intellectual history at its best."---Thomas Jackson, The Historian "A brief review cannot do justice to the richness and subtlety of this fine study. . . . [O'Connor's] argument is on the whole deeply compelling: over the course of the twentieth century, poverty knowledge became, despite the best intentions of its liberal practitioners, a partisan tool for those seeking to control, marginalize, or dismiss the claims of the poor, not for those working to end poverty."---Sonya Michel, IsisMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
709 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-00917-9 (9780691009179)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Alice O'Connor
Poverty Knowledge
Social Science, Social Policy, and the Poor in Twentieth-Century U.S. History
E-Book
01/2017
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€161.95
Available for download
Person
Alice O'Connor was formerly the Assistant Director of the Project on Social Welfare and the American Future at the Ford Foundation, the Director for the Programs on Persistent Urban Poverty and International Migration at the Social Science Research Council, a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Chicago, and a Visiting Scholar at the Russell Sage Foundation. She is currently Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Santa Barbara.