How shall we assess the structural change hypothesis as the basis for inner-city urban poverty? It certainly seems plausible. One has only to walk the former industrial district of any large, older city, from New York to San Francisco, to see its physical manifesta- tions. Yet some nagging problems remain. Although many working people may be suffer- ing under the new regime, why are some groups so much more affected than others? Why are some cities relatively worse off than others? Why does the market not see opportuni- ties in the tragic waste of human resources that is mass unemployment? Why has society not taken effective measures.
