A Theory of Poverty and Social Exclusion [Paperback]

Bill Jordan (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0745616941 | ISBN-13: 978-0745616940 | Publication Date: September 4, 1996 | Edition: 1

Bill Jordan seeks to fill a gap in social scientific theory by accounting for why a deterioration in the living standards of the worst-off members of societies tends to coincide with the resurgence of free-market utopianism as a political creed.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With the burgeoning of research and debates on social exclusion, Bill Jordan's book provides a much-needed theory of poverty and social exclusion based not on the relativity of deprivation but on the social and economic relations of power in contemporary industrialized welfare societies." Fiona Williams, University of Leeds

"In this book Bill Jordan draws on a rich mix of sources, including public choice theory and his own work on the strategies of excluded households, to shake up tired theories of poverty and to throw light on the future of social policy in the US and Britain (with glances towards Eastern Europe). It is an exhilarating book: learned but impatient, pessimistic but inspiring. An honest attempt to make sense of the turmoil that is social policy today." Ian Gough, University of Bath

"This is an important book which makes a valuable contribution to the theoretical debate about poverty and social exclusion. One of the main strengths of this work is its interdisciplinary focus ... this book is a valuable addition to the study of poverty and it is likely to stimulate much debate." British Journal of Sociology

"This is an ambitious book which attempts to chart an entirely new course for studies of poverty and social exclusion. There is much to admire in this book. It takes a fresh and illuminating approach which enables a number of important points to be made about the choices facing both individuals and society as a whole. The global and European perspective adds depth to the argument and is also interesting in its own right. I would certainly recommend the book to anyone interested in moving beyond the rather tired circles of debates about poverty and/or social exclusion." Critical Social Policy

"The theory is ... original and stimulating and appears to be substantially different from previous theories ... This is a highly stimulating book which often provokes and irritates but never bores the reader." Journal of European Social Policy

From the Back Cover

The deterioration in the living standards of the worst-off members of all kinds of societies has coincided with the resurgence of free-market utopianism as a political creed. Yet there is as yet no convincing theory to link these two phenomena. Bill Jordan seeks to fill this gap in social scientific theory by explaining poverty and social exclusion in terms of collective action in exclusive groups.

The book draws on public choice theory for its analysis of collective action of all kinds, from households and clubs to communities and polities, and shows how the strategies of individuals and groups affect collective outcomes. Although the methods are primarily derived from this economic perspective, historical and comparative dimensions are extensively reviewed, with special reference to the feminization of poverty, and the racialization of social exclusion.

Bill Jordan draws on his wide knowledge of comparative social policy to criticize currently fashionable theories of community and social citizenship. He argues that economic globalization and the actions of comfortable majorities in all the First World countries have increased the vulnerability of the poor, who in turn have taken strategic resistance action that drives up social costs. His theory includes an analysis of the threat to democracy posed by growing antagonisms between exclusive groups.

A Theory of Poverty and Social Exclusion is a pathbreaking book which will be of marked interest to academics and students in sociology, social policy, politics and economics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Polity; 1 edition (September 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745616941
• ISBN-13: 978-0745616940
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,428,611 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An objective contribution to the studies of social exclusion, July 24, 1998

By 

Dwight Floyd ([e-mail]) (Tallahassee, Florida; U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Theory of Poverty and Social Exclusion (Paperback)

For researchers and lay persons concerned with understanding the predicament of the urban poor, Jordan offers a theorectic approach equalled only by William Julius Wilson's most recent works. Jordan examines human behavior with regard to resource allocation, grouping and survival. Jordan demonstrates that the problems of the poor are exacerbated by the social policies of those who focus more on negative behavior and less on the socioeconomic policies driving the behavior. In conducting a comparative analysis, Jordan is able to show that problems of social exclusion are systemically generated and that the resulting antisocial behavior among the urban poor is to be expected. Finally, in relation to poverty and social exclusion, one can draw conclusions from Jordan's work on what developed free-trade countries should expect in the future.