Lawrence M. Eppard

What if the idealized image of American society—a land of opportunity that will reward hard work with economic success—is completely wrong? Few topics have as many myths, stereotypes, and misperceptions surrounding them as that of poverty in America. The poor have been badly misunderstood since the beginnings of the country, with the rhetoric only ratcheting up in recent times. Our current era of fake news, alternative facts, and media partisanship has led to a breeding ground for all types of myths and misinformation to gain traction and legitimacy. Poorly Understood is the first book to systematically address and confront many of the most widespread myths pertaining to poverty. Mark Robert Rank, Lawrence M. Eppard, and Heather E. Bullock powerfully demonstrate that the realities of poverty are much different than the myths; indeed in many ways they are more disturbing. The idealized image of American society is one of abundant opportunities, with hard work being rewarded by economic prosperity. But what if this picture is wrong? What if poverty is an experience that touches the majority of Americans? What if hard work does not necessarily lead to economic well-being? What if the reasons for poverty are largely beyond the control of individuals? And if all of the evidence necessary to disprove these myths has been readily available for years, why do they remain so stubbornly pervasive? These are much more disturbing realities to consider because they call into question the very core of America's identity. Armed with the latest research, Poorly Understood not only challenges the myths of poverty and inequality, but it explains why these myths continue to exist, providing an innovative blueprint for how the nation can move forward to effectively alleviate American poverty.

Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality explores and critiques the widespread perception in the United States that one’s success or failure in life is largely the result of personal choices and individual characteristics. As the authors show, the distinctively individualist ideology of American politics and culture shapes attitudes toward poverty and economic inequality in profound ways, fostering social policies that de-emphasize structural remedies. Drawing on a variety of unique methodologies, the book synthesizes data from large-scale surveys of the American population, and it features both conversations with academic experts and interviews with American citizens intimately familiar with the consequences of economic disadvantage. This mixture of approaches gives readers a fuller understanding of “skeptical altruism,” a concept the authors use to describe the American public’s hesitancy to adopt a more robust and structurally-oriented approach to solving the persistent problem of economic disadvantage.

In Rugged Individualism and the Misunderstanding of American Inequality, the authors argue that the stronger individualism and weaker structuralism found in the U.S. compared to much of Europe ensures that American politicians do not face the same degree of pressure that European politicians do to develop and/or maintain robust and structurally-oriented social policies. Combined with racism and features of the American political system, this works to limit the generosity and effectiveness of anti-poverty and inequality-reduction efforts in the U.S. This helps explain why the U.S. compares so poorly to other wealthy countries on measures of overall poverty, childhood poverty, economic inequality, and social mobility.

The reading selections in Institutionalized Inequality: Readings on the Structural Causes of Poverty and Inequality in America go beyond individualistic explanations of poverty and economic inequality to examine the equally important economic, political, and cultural forces contributing to these persistent social problems. This collection reminds students that the dominant individualistic explanations of poverty and inequality so prevalent in American culture do not adequately address the other equally important structural forces that have been well-documented by leading scholars in a variety of fields. This insightful anthology can be used in a variety of social science courses that explore poverty, economic inequality, social mobility, and a variety of related social problems. Institutionalized Inequality is a powerful resource that will help to significantly expand students' structural perspectives on these topics. Lawrence M. Eppard is an assistant professor of sociology at Concord University in Athens, West Virginia. He earned his Ph.D. in sociology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. His research interests include social stratification and inequalities, focusing on poverty, economic inequality, and social welfare. He has taught a variety of related college courses, including wealth and poverty, social inequality, social problems, sociological theory, demography, and introduction to social welfare. His research has been published in books and academic journals, he regularly presents his research at academic conferences, he frequently organizes academic symposia focusing on these social problems, and he acts as a reviewer for multiple academic journals.