PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Timothy M. Smeeding
TI  - Multiple Barriers to Economic Opportunity for the “Truly” Disadvantaged and Vulnerable
AID  - 10.7758/RSF.2016.2.2.04
DP  - 2016 May 01
TA  - RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences
PG  - 98--122
VI  - 2
IP  - 2
4099  - http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/2/2/98.short
4100  - http://www.rsfjournal.org/content/2/2/98.full
AB  - This article answers several questions: Which subgroups of the U.S. population—designated by race, ethnicity, family structure, educational status, income, wealth, consumption, or other characteristics—appear to be particularly vulnerable to a lack of economic opportunity based on household characteristics of the family and its children? To what degree does poor access to economic advancement appear to reflect low income or wealth, or do additional barriers contribute substantially to some subgroups’ limited opportunities? Similarly, what advantages accrue to high-income and other privileged groups, such as those born into a well-established married family? What does current research tell us about the mechanisms through which barriers operate and policies that might be effective in reducing them?