RSF author Kristin Seefeldt (University of Michigan) recently appeared at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan to discuss findings from her new book, Abandoned Families: Social Isolation in the Twenty-First Century. The book illuminates the economic and residential segregation facing many low-income workers in Detroit, Michigan, particularly African Americans, and explores how those factors limit their families’ chances for upward mobility. 

In the book, Seefeldt shows that while most of her respondents work, enroll in higher education, and seek out social safety net benefits in times of crisis, they primarily have access to subpar institutions, which hamper their efforts to get ahead. These include low-wage service sector jobs where workplace violations are common, for-profit schools and online programs that push them further into debt, and homes in depopulated neighborhoods that trap them with underwater mortgages. In addition, the 1996 federal welfare reform and other social safety net changes have made it more difficult for struggling families to receive public benefits that could reduce their economic hardships. At the same time, de-regulation of the financial services sector has made it easier for them to access credit, albeit with bad terms. Taken together, these factors contribute to what Seefeldt calls the “social abandonment” of vulnerable families.

Read more about Abandoned Families or purchase a copy of the book.