The Problems Of Disadvantaged Youth

One of the most important public policy issues in the United States is how to improve the life prospects of disadvantaged youth who, in their formative years, face low-quality school systems, poor access to health care, and high-crime environments. The Problems of Disadvantaged Youth includes a broad range of research examining various aspects of disadvantage, and ways of increasing the ability of low-income youths to improve their circumstances later in life. Taking an empirical economics perspective, the nine essays in this volume assess the causal impacts of disadvantage on youth outcomes, and how policy interventions can alleviate those impacts. Each chapter develops a framework to describe the relationship between youths and later life outcomes, addressing such factors as educational opportunity, health, neighborhood crime rates, and employment. This vital book documents the serious short- and long-term negative consequences of childhood disadvantage and provides nuanced evidence of the impact of public policy designed to help needy children.

Textbook in social psychology on vocational guidance of youth handicapped by poverty in the USA - covers social status, neighbourhood, cultural factors, family environment, group dynamics, mental health, the effect of the language barrier on behaviour, the problems of dropouts, Blacks and other minority groups, occupational choice, vocational training and employment opportunities, trends in counselling, the state of social research, etc. Bibliographys.

Examines field programmes and research studies and recommends specific strategies to enhance education, training, and employment opportunities for disadvantaged youth; to improve the incentives of less-skilled young workers to accept employment; and to address the severe barriers and disincentives faced by some youth, such as ex-offenders and noncustodial fathers.