In case of perfect competition, there exists large
RQ's on Poverty
Q Gans
List and explain 3 of the functions of poverty, as described by Gans.
Kozol
Describe the schools that Kozol visits.
How does Kozol think we should fix school inequality?
The functions of poverty are: Firstly, the existence of poverty implies that society's "dirty work" gets completed. Every civilization has such jobs: physically unclean or dangerous employment, impermanent, dead-end and underpaid work, undignified and menial labor. Society may fill these occupations by offering greater salaries than for "clean" employment, or it can compel those who have no other option to undertake the dirty work—at a low salary (Gans, 1971). Secondly, because the poor are forced to work for little pay, they subsidize a wide range of economic operations that benefit the wealthy. The poor support many local and national governmental programs that benefit more privileged groups because they pay a larger proportion of income inland and sales taxes, among other things (Gans, 1971).