Full Citation

Title: Springboard or Trap? Race, Governance, and the Challenge of Suburban Poverty

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2014

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Abstract: In this article, we ask whether suburban residence offers the poor a springboard to the middle class or whether it represents a new kind of poverty trap. To answer this question we examine the type of challenge that suburban poverty presents and the responses to it. Drawing on a comparison of the Denver and Chicago regions, we show that the interaction of race and governance influences both the nature of the challenge that suburban poverty represents and the ability of local and regional actors to respond. We emphasize two features of governance: the size of local jurisdictions and the regional footprint. Larger jurisdictions, we argue, are more likely to possess greater administrative capacity from which the poor can benefit. They are also less susceptible to racial tipping than are small jurisdictions. Regions with fewer larger jurisdictions will also find it easier to engage in regional action that benefits the poor.

Url: https://poverty.ucdavis.edu/sites/main/files/file-attachments/pendall_weir_springboard_or_trap.pdf

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Authors: Pendall, Rolf; Weir, Margaret

Publisher: UC Davis

Data Collections: IPUMS NHGIS

Topics: Other, Poverty and Welfare, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: United States