Poverty And Power The Structural Theory Essay - 1773 Words

Jillian Berry Ryan Halloran Race Poverty in the Americas Section 003 10/28/16 Analysis of the Structural Ideology Applied to Poverty in America America has suffered an enormous increase in the rate of poverty. Poverty is thoroughly ignored in this country, and as Royce outlines in his book Poverty and Power, there are two main views as to why people end up in, and cannot escape poverty. The first of the two views is the individualistic theory, saying that the root of poverty lies in the person itself. The other view is the structural theory, which states that the failure lies in the hands of society. In this paper, I will be evaluating what Royce feels are strengths and weaknesses of the structural theory by analyzing the structural inadequacies found in the economic, political, cultural, and social systems in the United States. Royce starts off with the economic system, stating that the condition of the economy is the most substantial factor that contributes to the economic welfare of the American people. To expand on that, the economy controls two very impor tant things: the availability of jobs, and the pay of said available jobs. Royce says that varying rates of poverty are determined by the abundance, of lack thereof, of employment opportunities. Available jobs are dwindling, and there is an even lower number of jobs that have a liveable wage (87). Royce goes on to outline four different reasons as to why the jobs are less available and less financially adequate.Show MoreRelatedBehind the Beautiful Forevers Analysis1198 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Beautiful Forevers – Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity† does not attempt to solve problems or be an expert on social policy; instead, Boo provides the reader with an objective window into the battles between extremities of wealth and poverty. â€Å"Behind the Beautiful Forevers,† then, exposes the paucity and corruption prevalent within India. Boo’s story begins in Annawadi, a trash-strewn slum located by the Mumbai International Airport. This â€Å"sumpy plug of slum† had a population of threeRead MoreChild Poverty : An Advancing Social Issue Essay1568 Words   |  7 PagesThroughout this paper, discussions will take place on, child poverty, an advancing social issue in New Zealand. Also, reasons why child poverty is a social issue in New Zealand will be debated. In addition, key concepts of three core sociological perspectives; structural functionalism, symbolic interactionism and conflict perspective will be explored. Followed by, explanations of child poverty in New Zealand, from each of the three perspectives will be given in order to explore the different viewpointsRead MoreTalcott Parsons And Structural Functionalism1428 Words   |  6 Pages Structural functionalism, or simply functionalism, is a framework for building theory that sees society as a complex system whose parts work together to promot e solidarity and stability. This approach looks at society through a macro-level orientation, which is a broad focus on the social structure that shape society as a whole, and believes that society has evolved like organisms. This approach looks at both social structure and social institutions. A common analogy, popularized by Herbert SpencerRead MoreThe Link Between Poverty and Crime1654 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"Many people living in poverty do not want to be living in poverty. In order to obtain a higher level of socioeconomic status, crime is seen as the only option.† (Wilson, 1987). Crime exists everywhere in the world – in rural and urban areas in many countries, in the East and West, and among all types of people. This has led many government officials, especially those in urban areas, to focus largely on the reduction of crime among their respective constituencies and has led others to speculateRead More`` Red Tape : The Bureaucracy, Structural Violence And Poverty1591 Words   |  7 Pagesthe poverty line, and struggling to meet even their most basic needs. This poverty has been long researched and discussed, as many political figures and anthropologists, such as Akhil Gupta are attempting to find a solution. Akhil Gupta is an accomplished anthropologist and current professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, where his research focuses on the development and the state. These themes are present in his novel, Red Tape: The Bureaucracy, Structural Violence and Poverty in IndiaRead MoreThere Has Been A Growing Gap Between The Rich And Poor15 62 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent sociological theories. According to the Bloomberg (2017) article the gap between the rich and poor in US is widening, the report states, â€Å"the difference in annual income between households in the top 20 percent and those in the bottom 20 percent -- ballooned by $29,200 to $189,600 between 2010 and 2015, based on Bloomberg calculations using U.S. Census Bureau data†. It is predicted that this shift will continue to grow. As a sociologist, there are various theories than can be used to explainRead MoreEvaluating the View that Poverty is Caused by Economic Inequality Rather than Cultural Attitudes and Lifestyles1327 Words   |  6 PagesEvaluating the View that Poverty is Caused by Economic Inequality Rather than Cultural Attitudes and Lifestyles There is much debate in sociology that poverty is caused by structural factors such as economic inequality and those who state that it is caused by cultural factors such as attitudes, values and lifestyles. The first group say that the poor are made to be poor by the economic and political systems, they state that the poor are prevented from achieving a good standardRead MoreThe Social Functions Of Political Systems1001 Words   |  5 Pagesstatus and wealth within the system, people tend to be relatively equal in terms of power (Taggart). Tribes also tend to be more egalitarian, although there is a sense of who is highly respectable in their groups (Taggart). Centralized political structures on the other hand, tend to govern larger groups of people. For this reason, there is a hierarchal structure which are commonly associated with various levels of power. The social functions of these political systems is relative to population size.Read MoreInequalities in Health Essay1272 Words   |  6 Pagesassignment I am going to explore the sociological perspectives of Marxism and Functionalism and a brief view on interactionism in relation to health and inequalities in health. I will explore sociological explanations for these inequalities focusing on structural materialist, artefact, social selection and cultural explanat ions. â€Å"Health is a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing, and not just the absence of disease† (WHO, 1974). Health inequalities are the differences in healthRead MoreUnited States Six Economic Social Classes1450 Words   |  6 Pages and 8 percent in the very poor social class. Yes, Americans can move up and down between social classes. Actually, a lot of celebrities came from a lower class and worked their way to where they are now. For example, Oprah Winfrey was born into poverty, or the poor class in Mississippi. She had a single parent, which was her mother, and she grew up in inner-city Milwaukee. Oprah was raped at age nine and she became pregnant at age 14, she later lost her son. Oprah was not born wealthy and admired;