Urban Hispanic Poverty: Disaggregations and Explanations

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Abstract
This article argues that Hispanic (Latino) poverty remains considerably understudied and misunderstood in spite of its substantial and growing incidence. It has received relatively little scholarly attention partly because of data deficiencies and partly because of the dominance of black poverty within the agendas of research and policy circles alike. In addition, what little research has been done has all too often treated the hybrid category “Hispanic” as a single group. The author argues that treating Latinos as a single group is an unsatisfactory approach to analysis. This is illustrated by showing the importance of disaggregation by group for interpreting trends in the relevant indicators of distress. It is also suggested that such analyses ought to take full account of peculiarities in the processes under which these groups have entered U.S. society. It is shown here that such factors are often quite important to understanding the mobility process. Finally, all three lines of reasoning advanced here are further supported by showing that the most current theoretical orientations to poverty research are irrelevant to the Latino experience, especially if the Hispanic groups are not considered separately