Mary Jo Bane

Welfare Realities: From Rhetoric to Reform

Preface * The Context for Welfare Reform Thomas J. Kane and Mary Jo Bane * Understanding Welfare Dynamics David T. Ellwood and Mary Jo Bane * Understanding Dependency David T. Ellwood * Increasing Self-Sufficiency by Reforming Welfare Mary Jo Bane * Reducing Poverty by Replacing Welfare David T. Ellwood * Appendix * Notes * References * Index

One Fifth of the Nation's Children: Why Are They Poor?

Despite 20 years of concern about poverty, the most recent census figures show that 20 percent of children in the United States live in families with incomes below the poverty line. In understanding why, it is important to recognize the reasons for poverty among children in both two-parent working poor families and single-parent families. Examination of the evidence suggests that family poverty basically reflects the economic and social changes that affect most United States families.

The Nation's Families: 1960-1990.

This is the first in a series of reports on population households and families in the United States. In the present study the authors examine trends in population household formation and life-styles in the United States between 1960 and 1990. Implications of recent changes in family structure are analyzed with special reference to the behavior of birth cohorts as they age. Particular attention is given to the topic of womens work and its effect on family income (ANNOTATION)

Poverty and Place in North America

This paper provides an overview of poverty in North America: in Mexico, the United States and Canada. It begins with an overview of growth and inequality in the three countries. The second section of the paper presents concepts and measures of poverty and reports the overall incidence of poverty in the three countries using various measures. The third section explores the relationship between the level of economic development and poverty, both between and within countries. The fourth section looks at the relationships between household composition and poverty and between race/ethnicity and poverty in the US and Mexico. The final section briefly raises policy issues that emerge from the analysis.

Social Conscience and Politics in the United States of America: Reflections

This article argues that the United States of America is quite different from other OECD countries in its religiosity (America is much more religious) and also in its public safety nets, which are considerably less generous and comprehensive than those of Europe. There are some institutional and ideological patterns in American religion that perhaps underlie both these tendencies. Patterns of religious life and practice in America may be part of the ‘problem’ in American responses to poverty; they may also, however, be part of the solution, and not simply because of gospel teaching. America is distinctive in the breadth, diversity and vitality of associations and charities, including religiously based voluntary organizations. The voluntary sector cannot replace the public sector, but it can, perhaps, provide the organizational foundation for the development of social conscience and civic dialogue, and a counter to the increasingly toxic political sphere. The voluntary sector may be the best hope for the emergence of an American social conscience, and may also provide an interesting framework for other nations to consider.

Race, Poverty and Public Policy

Poverty rates in the United States vary dramatically by race and ethnicity, ranging from 24.3 percent for African-Americans to 8.2 percent for non-Hispanic Whites. This paper reports the contemporary data and explores the extent to which racial differences in poverty rates reflect differences in family structure and education. Finding residual differences, it the explores the importance of racial stigma, racial discrimination and racial segregation. It places these facts in the context of Catholic Social Teaching, and suggests directions for both government policy and the church.

The American Divorce Rate

THE INDICATORS. The basic fact about the American divorce rate is that it is rising. The number of divorces per 1,000 married women has risen annually since 1960. Before that annual divorce rates fell somewhat during the late 1930s, rose to a sharp peak after World War II, and fell until the late 1950s. In 1977, the most recent year for which final divorce statistics have been published, 1,091,000 divorces were granted, 21.1 per 1,000 married women. Figure 1 charts the course of the annual divorce rate from 1930 to 1976.