Social and political forces as determinants of poverty: A spatial analysis

This study contributes to basic knowledge of the structural determinants of poverty in the US by analyzing an expanded set of determinants of poverty, namely factors related to economic, social, and political influence using spatial data analysis techniques. New data sets and creative use of existing data sets make it possible to measure some of these county-wide social and political factors that have previously been excluded from formal investigation. Social capital, ethnic and income inequality, local political competition, federal grants, foreign-born population, and spatial effects are found to be important determinants of poverty in US counties along with other conventional factors.