Michael Katz | From Underclass to Entrepreneur: Reclaiming Poor People in America’s Cities

Lecture | Wednesday, October 13, 8pm
Architecture Building Auditorium

Symposium | Thursday, October 14, 10:30am
Architecture Building Room 1213

Sponsored by The Samuel J. and Ethel LeFrak Foundation and the Urban Studies and Planning Program

Dr. Michael Katz is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History and a Research Associate at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania. Educated at Harvard University, he has been a Guggenheim Fellow and a Resident Fellow at the Russell Sage Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His research and writing has focused on the history of American education, the history of urban social structure and family organization, and the history of social welfare and poverty.

In his presentation, From Underclass to Entrepreneur: Reclaiming Poor People in America’s Cities, Professor Katz will discuss the evolution of societal perceptions of the poor from the “underclass” of the late 1970s to the early 1990s, to the “entrepreneur” of the 21st century. Within this context, Dr. Katz will assess four market based strategies designed to address poverty in America: 1) place-based initiatives to rebuild inner city markets; 2) microfinance programs; 3) asset building policies; and 4) conditional cash transfers and monetary incentives.

Following his talk we will hear comments from Professor Bonnie Dill, Professor and Chair, Women’s Studies Department and Director of the Consortium of Race, Gender and Ethnicity, University of Maryland as well as Professor Gar Alperovitz, Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy, University of Maryland. We will also have questions from the audience.

On the following day, Thursday, October 14, Professor Katz will host a Seminar to discuss the issues raised during his presentation. The Seminar will be from 10:30 a.m. to Noon in Room 1213 Architecture Building, and is open to the public and followed by a light lunch.

1.5 AICP CM credits (pending)

Directions and parking information. For further information contact Jim Cohen or phone 301-405-6795.

Sponsored by The Samuel J. and Ethel Lefrak Foundation and the Urban Studies and Planning Program