13 - Economically Cooperating Units in an Urban Black Community

Abstract

This chapter discusses economically cooperating units in an urban black community. The influence of external forces such as unemployment, poor housing, and the welfare system—forces over which the poor have little control—tend to create continual fission and fusion of households within the black community. This pattern of household fission and fusion has typically been characterized as chaotic and disorganized. Sharing patterns provide the security necessary for a family to withstand fluctuations in income due to chronic underemployment and the lack of means to acquire equity. These networks also serve as a means of regulating the distribution of goods and services within the community to ensure that no individual is significantly worse off than anyone else. Contrary to appearances, they are an expression of considerable economic forethought on the part of the members. It is contention that these networks form a differentiated subsystem within the overall economy. This subsystem mediates the effects of the fluctuating inputs and outputs imposed by the surrounding social and economic system. In addition, it serves to regulate the distribution of goods and services.