The Culture of Poverty Revisited: A Strategy for Research

Although the debate over the culture of poverty has diminished greatly in intensity, most of the principal issues in that debate remain unresolved. This is attributed, in large part, to the lack of a systematic theoretical framework to guide empirical research in this area. A proposed framework is developed, based upon Hyman Rodman's concept “value stretch.” General hypotheses are derived and applied to specific issues in the culture of poverty debate.