Poverty in Ireland: The Role of 'Underclass' Processes. ESRI WP115. July 1999

Nolan, Brian and Whelan, Christopher T. (1999) Poverty in Ireland: The Role of 'Underclass' Processes. ESRI WP115. July 1999. [Working Paper]

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Abstract

Rising levels of urban deprivation and a perception that poverty has become more concentrated in such areas and has taken on a qualitatively different character have provoked a variety of popular and academic responses. The potentially most fruitful set of hypotheses focus on the unintended consequences of social change. A combination of weak labour force attachment and social isolation are perceived to lead to behaviour and orientations that contribute to a vicious circle of deprivation. In examining the value of this conceptual framework in the Irish case we proceed by measuring directly the social psychological factors which are hypothesised to mediate the ‘underclass’ process.

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