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Rating: 
Summary: EXCELLENT RESOURCE
Review: I found When Work Disappears very insightful and definitely a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the issues of urban poverty, the interplays of race and class and the global machinations that aggravate poverty in domestic U.S. contexts.In the introduction, Wilson gives a solid history and analysis of the perceptions and institutionalized roles of the poor in America. He gives interesting, objective and valuable takes on the Moynihan report and Hernstein & Murray's The Bell Curve among others, contextualizing the various schools of thought and how they interact. He discusses the conservative theories that focused on poverty as stemming from destructive individual behavior as well as the liberal theories "black perspective" that blamed social structures and painted the inner-city poor as superheroes who survived racial oppression, to the absolute neglect of the destructive realities. He says "the tendency of some liberals to deny the very existence of culturally destructive behavior and attitudes in the inner city is once again to diminish the importance of the environment in determining the outcomes and life chances of individuals. He articulates this point so well - it's a thorny issue that when mentioned by non-African-Americans risks them being construed as racist, and when mentioned by African-Americans, risks them being construed as sell-outs. Sweeping the reality under the rug never helped anyone. He makes no excuses, and delves into the underlying forces - the flight of not just higher income earners from urban cities, but the flight of jobs. One of the most important positions he adopts in the book is that there is a difference between the consequences of inner-city poverty and inner-city joblessness. He posits, "The consequences of high neighborhood joblessness are more devastating than those of high neighborhood poverty. A neighborhood in which people are poor but employed is different from a neighborhood in which people are poor and jobless." Wilson also does well to discuss the relationship between poverty and global, political processes. His approach stands in contrast to the usual approach that isolates poverty within the U.S. without discussing it within a larger, universal context. His balanced views do not label capitalist America the enemy; neither does he label it a friend. Ultimately, I like the book because in it, Wilson does not play the blame game with regards to who creates/maintains the underclass. He does not dabble in rhetoric, and does not overemphasize or understate the role of race in poverty. He states that" as the turn of the century approaches, the movement for racial equality needs a new political strategy that will appeal to a broader coalition and address the many problems that originate in historical racism and inner-city residents. We must recognize that these problems cannot be solved through race-based remedies alone." In short, I enjoyed reading and learnt a whole lot. Kudos to WJW on this one!
Rating:
Summary: a sociology tour de force
Review: I think there are two major problems with theories that attempt to explain black poverty as something completely or primarily due to welfare, "culture", or genetics: first, they seem to lack a comprehensive understanding of African-American history. Second, from everything I've seen, such theories totally ignore the very similar conditions experienced by other ethnic/national minority groups in many advanced as well as developing countries (ex: Gypsies, Maori, Aboriginies, etc.). On the other hand, an author such as Wilson offers a very refreshing insight into the conditions of the urban poor. While his policy prescriptions call for a much stronger, activist government, the focus of this book is the analysis of the current conditions of the black urban poor and how it reached it's current state. In that sense, it should be accesible to all political stripes. Also, this book is not in any way a "marxist" critique; it never criticizes American or global "capitalism" as the cause of the poor's suffering. The citing of socio-economic factors, such as technological and industrial changes, as a major factor in the deteriorating conditions of the urban poor is quite a different thing than stating that one can only solve such problems by overthrowing capitalism (this is a marxist perspective, not Wilsons). Also, the author's analysis does not lack addressing issues of "personal responsibility" or cultural, behavioral norms. On the contrary, he takes these very sensitive issues head-on and concludes that in some important ways there is a distinctive sub-culture (a "culture of poverty"), but not for the reasons some intellectuals assert (welfare, genetics, etc.). Differing social norms concerning work ethic, education, attitudes at work, etc. primarily exist because of the high rate of concentration and separation of the black urban poor from white, middle-class society. Those who grow up in a community where joblessness is actually the norm (and all of its associated ills) will not have adequate preparation for decent-paying jobs that require good education, work references, and interpersonal skills. I could say so much more, but I should probably limit this review to concluding that Wilson's work is destined to become a classic sociological reference and an important guide for other writers as well as policy-makers.
Rating:
Summary: a sociology tour de force
Review: I think there are two major problems with theories that attempt to explain black poverty as something completely or primarily due to welfare, "culture", or genetics: first, they seem to lack a comprehensive understanding of African-American history. Second, from everything I've seen, such theories totally ignore the very similar conditions experienced by other ethnic/national minority groups in many advanced as well as developing countries (ex: Gypsies, Maori, Aboriginies, etc.). On the other hand, an author such as Wilson offers a very refreshing insight into the conditions of the urban poor. While his policy prescriptions call for a much stronger, activist government, the focus of this book is the analysis of the current conditions of the black urban poor and how it reached it's current state. In that sense, it should be accesible to all political stripes. Also, this book is not in any way a "marxist" critique; it never criticizes American or global "capitalism" as the cause of the poor's suffering. The citing of socio-economic factors, such as technological and industrial changes, as a major factor in the deteriorating conditions of the urban poor is quite a different thing than stating that one can only solve such problems by overthrowing capitalism (this is a marxist perspective, not Wilsons). Also, the author's analysis does not lack addressing issues of "personal responsibility" or cultural, behavioral norms. On the contrary, he takes these very sensitive issues head-on and concludes that in some important ways there is a distinctive sub-culture (a "culture of poverty"), but not for the reasons some intellectuals assert (welfare, genetics, etc.). Differing social norms concerning work ethic, education, attitudes at work, etc. primarily exist because of the high rate of concentration and separation of the black urban poor from white, middle-class society. Those who grow up in a community where joblessness is actually the norm (and all of its associated ills) will not have adequate preparation for decent-paying jobs that require good education, work references, and interpersonal skills. I could say so much more, but I should probably limit this review to concluding that Wilson's work is destined to become a classic sociological reference and an important guide for other writers as well as policy-makers.
Rating: 
Summary: Socioeconomic roots of urban rot
Review: It is a bit ironic that a sociologist (as Mr Wilson is) would stress economic causal factors, while economists (such as Thomas Sowell) frequently refer to the sociocultural determinants (emphasis on cultural). Ironic, but understandable, especially if you view all human behavior (including the books that scholars write), as having sociopolitical motives (emphasis on political). That is is what makes this book so refreshing. WHEN WORK DISAPPEARS offers explanations other than the tiresome cant of cultural deterministic causes favored by 'cant'servatives, and the acidic analyses by 'vitrioliberals' who incessantly blame racism. Mr Wilson states that the inner cities have seen the disappearance of unskilled factory jobs; the low wage economy was characterized by stable black neighborhoods, and even with low pay, the situation was sustainable. These neighborhoods are gone and have been replaced by crime-infested slums. The causal factor is global economic reorganization, not racism, nor culture (although Mr Wilson does refer to "ghetto-related behavior and attitudes"). Blaming racism is a meretricios argument, especially when analyses such as Michael Dawsons' BEHIND THE MULE show that blacks are themselves divided on the issue. Upper income blacks are much more likely than lower income blacks to blame poor blacks for their own plight. The complexity of the matter is further illustrated by works such as Jennifer Hochschilds' FACING UP TO THE AMERICAN DREAM where she says that poor, urban, blacks are optimistic about the eventual success of the next generation, and they are often "touchingly gratified by their own or their children's progress.". Mr Wilson is obviously aware of this complexity, and he shows that he is not politically naive. He rejects the favored term of conservatives - the underclass - when refering to the inner city poor. Some argue that it is used as a euphemism for lumpen. Mr Wilson calls the word an "epithet." The specious argument that 'racism is to blame' and the cruel 'change your culture and get a job' policy prescription, should be rejected as that of blinkered polemicists. If the book has a fault it is in its policy prescriptions. Without providing sufficient details as to how the remedial programs will be paid for, there is scope for criticism that Mr Wilson is proposing increased spending by a larger federal bureaucracy. He refers to the role that private sector companies have in hiring former welfare recipients, but he seems pessimistic about the prospects. What else then? Certainly, Mr Wilson knows that the probability of an enlarged government role in a new war on poverty is slim to none.
Rating:
Summary: What do jobs have to do with it? Everything.
Review: The essence of my reading of the book is that concentrated joblessness, not just concentrated poverty, is afflicting many people in old urban areas, and that prolonged joblessness, even more than prolonged poverty, is a profoundly disabling condition not only for individuals, but for communities, and has intergenerational effects. Support for his theories is drawn from survey and ethnographic reseach with ghetto and non-ghetto residents and Us census data, as well as evidence from projects which involved relocation from ghetto to non-ghetto areas. Focused on the American urban ghettos, with most of its data drawn from Chicago area studies, Wilson discusses the overlap of ghetto poverty areas, jobless ghettos, and the effects of living in each. He gives significant attention to the role of race- segregation, racially coded policy, ghetto culture, and attitudes of employers towards race and their employees. Of special interest is his aside on the opinions of black employers to black employees (reflective of the general pool of employers opinions towards black employees). Wilson also examines ghetto related culture, the informal economies of the ghetto, and the place of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in the decision making calculus of ghetto residents. What is, IMHO, key to reading this book is keeping in mind that areas of ghetto poverty and ghetto joblessness are growing, deepening, and are not in a position to self-correct. Put simply, if joblessness is a key factor in the creation of ghettos, it needs to be addressed by supply-side solutions (job creation & employment of last resort, fostering adequate social supports (childcare, etc.)), and not simply reconfiguring the stick of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (the successor program to AFDC ). If you're looking for a detailed set of proposals, Wilson retreads several good ideas (universal healthcare among them), but you'll be able to find far more developed versions of the same proposals elsewhere. If you're looking for a more in-depth look at poverty and joblessness in urban areas, however, this is an excellent place to start.
Rating: 
Summary: Lets correlate joblessness with everything
Review: This book is full of excuses and manipulated data that ignores the ultimate moral responsibility of a society. We can correlate joblessness with the number of innercity households that contain black ink pens if we want to. While Wilson presents an argument in an attempt to educate, his words are slanted in such a way that we are left feeling "sorry for them".
Rating:
Summary: Lets correlate joblessness with everything
Review: This book is full of excuses and manipulated data that ignores the ultimate moral responsibility of a society. We can correlate joblessness with the number of innercity households that contain black ink pens if we want to. While Wilson presents an argument in an attempt to educate, his words are slanted in such a way that we are left feeling "sorry for them".
Rating: 
Summary: Is the Data Clean?
Review: Wilson's argument is that the global economic reorginization that has taken place over the last thirty years has significantly decreased the number of manufacturing jobs available to unskilled workers. Many workers who formerly worked in manufacturing have adapted the the new service economy, but the unskilled workers that could not adapt have been left behind. The result of this job loss has been severe in the urban ghetto, whose population in predominately black and has not been able to socially assimilate into societal norms and become functional in the service sector. Over time the result of chronic joblessness has prloferated a culture that has been moving further away from cultural norms, indoctinating itself into "ghetto related behavior and attitudes," and creating a new generation of urbanites that have little hope of betterment. What is interesting about Wilson's argument is that a continued globalization could threaten other employment sectors, displacing workers that are not the traditional urban poor. The point being, in a fast paced, high technology, global environment -- although his case is the extreme --it is likely that people who are left out of work, or out of society for any length of time will have a difficult time becoming productive to society again.
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