Households In Neighborhoods Research Articles

Does work pay? Spatial variations in the benefits of employment and coping abilities of the unemployed

The aim of this paper is to evaluate whether there are spatial variations in first, the benefits of living in a household with wage earners rather than a wholly jobless household and second, the coping abilities of jobless households. To do this, 511 households in various neighbourhoods in a relatively affluent southern city and a poorer northern urban area in the UK are studied in terms of their ability to get tasks completed that they perceive as necessary. First, this reveals that one is `better-off' living in a jobless household in the northern than the southern city in terms of one's ability to get necessary tasks completed. Second, it finds that `work pays' in this southern city more than the northern city. The gap between jobless and wage-earning households in their ability to get necessary tasks completed is far greater in the southern than the northern city. In so doing, the paper highlights the need for more comprehensive data on the regional variations in the cost-of-living for jobless and wage-earning households and for a fuller analysis of the regional impacts of national welfare-to-work policies as well as whether these need to be regionally differentiated in order to become more effective.

Beyond Profit-Motivated Exchange

The aim of this paper is to evaluate critically whether under a market system, monetary exchange is always and everywhere based on profit-seeking behaviour. To do this, the paper examines paid informal work, a form of work conventionally conceptualized as low-paid employment heavily imbued with profit motivations on the part of both the consumer and supplier. Using structured interviews with 400 households in UK lower-income urban neighbourhoods, however, this paper shows that most paid informal exchange is seldom undertaken by either purchasers or suppliers to achieve maximum money gains. Instead, it is mostly conducted for and by close social relations for reasons associated with redistribution and sociality. In line with recent developments in economic geography associated with the ‘cultural turn/s’, therefore, this paper points not only to the social-embeddedness of paid informal exchange but also to how, at least in these UK lower-income neighbourhoods, the increasing penetration of monetary exchange has not marched hand-in-hand with market relations. In this extensive and growing sphere of monetary exchange, the profit motive is largely absent. Consequently, rather than construing paid informal work as the ultimate manifestation of unbridled profit-motivated capitalism, this paper instead shows such work to be a large alternative economic space within contemporary capitalism where monetary exchange is embedded in alternative social relations, motivations and pricing mechanisms.

Beyond Profit-Motivated Exchange: Some Lessons from the Study of Paid Informal Work

The aim of this paper is to evaluate critically whether under a market system, monetary exchange is always and everywhere based on profit-seeking behavior. To do this, the paper examines paid informal work, a form of work conventionally conceptualized as low paid employment heavily imbued with profit motivations on the part of both the consumer and supplier. Using in-depth interviews with 400 households in UK lower-income urban neighborhoods, however, this paper shows that most paid informal exchange is seldom undertaken by either purchasers or suppliers to achieve maximum money gains. Instead, it is mostly conducted for and by close social relations for reasons associated with redistribution and sociality. In line with recent developments in the new economic geography, therefore, this paper points not only to the social-embeddedness of paid informal exchange but also how, at least in these lower-income neighborhoods, the increasing penetration of monetary exchange has not marched hand-in-hand with market relations. In this extensive and growing sphere of monetary exchange, the profit-motive is largely absent. Consequently, rather than construing paid informal work as the ultimate manifestation of unbridled profit-motivated capitalism, this paper instead shows such work to be a large resistant space within contemporary capitalism where monetary exchange is embedded in alternative social relations, motivations and pricing mechanisms.

Note: Paid Informal Work in Deprived Urban Neighborhoods: Exploitative Employment or Cooperative Self‐Help?

The aim of this paper is to challenge the characterization of paid informal work as a form of employment based on exploitative relations that should be eradicated. Using empirical evidence gathered through structured interviews with 511 households in deprived and affluent neighborhoods in British cities, this paper reveals that paid informal work in deprived areas is mostly conducted for kin, neighbors, and friends for co‐operative reasons and is thus more like unpaid community exchange in the private sphere than exploitative employment. In consequence, the challenge for social and labor market policy is argued to be not to try to eradicate such work but to harness it in these deprived urban neighborhoods.

Unshackling the future of work from the ideology of full employment

This paper argues that by shackling the future of work to a vision of full employment, alternative futures are closed off. At present, employment creation is seen as the sole route out of poverty. Here, however, we reveal that a complementary additional pathway is to help people to help themselves and each other. To show this, evidence from a survey of 400 households in deprived neighbourhoods of Southampton and Sheffield is reported. This reveals that besides creating job opportunities, measures that directly empower people to improve their circumstances could be a useful complementary initiative to combat social exclusion and open up new futures for work that are currently closed off.

Unshackling the Future of Work from the Ideology of Full-Employment

This paper argues that by shackling the future of work to a vision of full-employment, alternative futures are closed-off. At present, employment creation is seen as the sole route out of poverty. Here, however, we reveal that a complementary additional pathway is to help people to help themselves and each other. To show this, evidence from a survey of 400 households in deprived neighborhoods of Southampton and Sheffield is reported. This reveals that besides creating job opportunities, measures that directly empower people to improve their circumstances could be a useful complementary initiative to combat social exclusion and open up new futures for work that are currently closed-off.

Richmond Youth Against Violence: A School-based Program for Urban Adolescents

The Richmond Youth Against Violence Project teaches middle school students in the Richmond Public Schools knowledge, attitudes, and skills for reducing their involvement in violence. These students are primarily African Americans, many of whom come from low-income, single-parent households in neighborhoods with high rates of crime and drug use. The program, "Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways," employs a developmentally anchored health promotion model. Its goal is to promote peaceful and positive alternatives to interpersonal and situational violence, by creating environments that teach and encourage health-enhancing behaviors and intrapersonal attributes and weakening supports for health-compromising behaviors and intrapersonal attributes. The 16-session school-based program was implemented by prevention specialists with sixth graders during the 1994-1995 school year. Students are taught a seven-step problem-solving model. Program implementation was staggered to allow an intervention group to participate during the fall semester and a control group to participate during the spring semester. Outcome measures include school data and measures completed by students. There were few significant baseline differences between the intervention and control groups. A high percentage of students, particularly boys, reported exposure to community violence; more than 92% had heard gunshots. Many have also engaged in risk behaviors; 70% of the boys and 44% of the girls reported being in a fight in the preceding 30 days. The impact of the curriculum is being examined. The program has provided valuable lessons about conducting community-based research, particularly designing, implementing, and evaluating prevention programs.

Examining the relationship between routine activities theory and social disorganization: An analysis of property crime victimization

A property crime victimization survey was conducted of households in both high and tow crime neighborhoods in one southern city. A response rate of 68.5% was obtained. The study tested the premises of both the routine activities and social disorganization theories as they contribute to the likelihood of property crime victimization at the individual level. It was found that routine activities theory explained 28% of the property crime variance in the socially disorganized area (high crime) while only explaining 11% of the same variance in the low crime area. Separate measurements were used to establish the level of social disorganization in the two geographical areas. The beta coefficients reveal that in the high crime area, those most likely to be property crime victims are white, single homeowners who are not at home from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., who have relatives living in their neighborhoods, and who interact with their neighbors. These findings lend marginal support to the routine activities model.

Assets and Financial Management Among Poor Households in Extreme Poverty Neighborhoods

Assets and Financial Management Among Poor Households in Extreme Poverty Neighborhoods

The Determinants of Household Migration Into and Out of Distressed Neighborhoods

This study focuses on the factors affecting the decisions of households to move into and out of 2 distressed neighborhoods in Tel Aviv Israel. An important characteristic of neighborhood deterioriation is the process of selective migration whereby certain households that can afford to move out of a neighborhood do so and others of a lower socioeconomic level take their place. The decision to move is directly related to the desire to relocate and the total accruing utility to the household from the consumption of the combination of housing services and neighborhood qualities is expected to be greater than it is in the present location. The 2 neighborhoods selected have a relatively high density (persons per room) a low level of educational attainment per person and a low income per household. Results show that out-migration households of both areas are relatively more satisfied with their new dwellings and new neighborhoods than they are with their old dwellings and old neighborhoods. To identify the reasons for moving out of and into each of the 2 neighborhoods a hypothetical compensation exercise is carried out. Most households in both neighborhoods are dissatisfied with the former neighborhoods quality of environment for raising children as well as with its safety and its deficiency in maintaining law and order. Thus households moving out did so primarily because of unsatisfactory neighborhood qualities; on the other hand households moving into each of the 2 neighborhoods were motivated primarily by the availability of relatively low cost housing. The possible preliminary policy implications are: public or government intervention in these distressed neighborhoods should be aimed at improving neighborhood qualities. At the same time young couples should be encouraged and aided in their search for new dwellings to move into these neighborhoods because these young households are usually composed of well trained or skilled workers with adequate educational attainment. It is crucial to provide these households with the neighborhood qualities they seek otherwise they might attempt to move out as soon as it is within their financial capabilities to do so.