Jobs Aren't Enough: Toward a New Economic Mobility for Low-Income Families [Paperback]

Roberta Rehner Iversen (Author), Annie Laurie Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2006

In this gripping ethnographic account, Roberta Iversen and Annie Laurie Armstrong examine the obstacles to economic mobility for low- and increasingly middle-income families in 21st century America. The 'voices' of twenty-five families in Milwaukee, New Orleans, Philadelphia, St. Louis, Seattle and of hundreds of people who are linked to the families' lives, show that the historic myths about opportunity, merit, and 'bootstraps' are outdated and, in some cases, downright dangerous for many urban workers and their families. Iversen and Armstrong show that the social institutions of family, education, labour market and policy all intersect to influence mobility. "Jobs Aren't Enough" proposes a new mobility paradigm grounded in cooperation, collaboration, mutuality and revitalization of the 'public will' to maximize both "household and profit."

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Iversen and Armstrong make a strong case that political, economic and social systems need to change in order to support people on the job... This book is so well researched that it's also a compendium of fascinating and frightening statistics from other studies about American workers and our workforce development system folks designing and implementing political, economic and social systems need to learn what Iversen and Armstrong know. The public needs to use this information to demand better, more effective systems based on realities, not myths." Workforce Developments website "This book could be used as a complete document to enable students to fully comprehend the definition and theory of economic mobility...it is a valuable piece of evidence for political decision-makers involved in policy-making related to education, labor force, and social benefits affecting low-income families...it may change the way economic mobility is regarded by providing a more realistic account of the process of attaining economic advancement...Finally, this book provides ammunition to encourage others to acknowledge the injustices of society and the hardships and realities of succeeding economically in America." Families in Society' Volume 88, No. 3 "[The chapter] on workforce development stands out as a shining centerpiece to the entire volume and as a key contribution to the literature with compelling applications for social work practice. It is here that Roberta Iversen's expertise in the area of workforce development, is both evidenced and affirmed...For the growing number of social work scholars involved in research and teaching on workforce development and employment...Jobs Aren't Enough is required reading." Qualitative Social Work. "Iversen and Armstrong give us a unique comprehensive glimpse into the world of low-wage employment in an environment where considerable resources are devoted to improving the lives of the working poor in America. The results in this excellent book are both revealing and depressing...The authors do an excellent job of explaining, for general audiences, how systems of social networks, cultural capital, and embeddedness describe the economic milieu that most of us live in. They also do an excellent job of showing how these families have some of the things (e.g., family supports) but critically lack others (e.g., access to good schools for their children.)...Jobs Aren't Enough is well worth your time and your money. If nothing else you will develop a greater understanding of just how much work there is to make a working society a prosperous one." Contemporary Sociology "Iversen and Armstrong have produced an in-depth ethnographic study of low-income families living in major American cities over a period of five years...The authors have amassed a great deal of evidence that question prevailing beliefs about work, education and opportunity. The detailed accounts of the challenges faced by the families in the study provide ample evidence that much more needs to be done to address these challenges. The book is an important addition to the literature and should be widely consulted." The Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare "The message is an important one and worthy of our attention...the authors should be applauded for the many hundreds of hours spent conducting interviews and observing and meeting both the families and their employers. In the end, their message is clear: both vertical and horizontal alignment between social programs, family services, educational institutions, and employers is needed to ensure that once a family starts on the path toward self-sufficiency they are able to achieve it." Human Resource Management

From the Publisher

"Job opportunity" is a myth for 25% of U.S. wage earners --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 296 pages
• Publisher: Temple University Press (July 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592133568
• ISBN-13: 978-1592133567
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #965,079 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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