ABSTRACT
Glenn Loury is an excellent theorist and a profound thinker. He is a true believer in black dignity and self-help. He is also extremely concerned about social issues. Loury's many scholarly articles include contributions to the fields of welfare economics, game theory, industrial organization, natural resource economics and the economics of income distribution. His contributions are examined by reviewing his theory of human development – social capital and economic upliftment – race relations. Loury's concept of economic upliftment focuses on personal responsibility, de-emphasizing racism, recognizing the value of bourgeois norms, emphasizing values and accountability, and the role of the black middle class in serving the underclass. The underclass is hindered by a movement away from values, which for a long time had been an integral part of the black community. A greater focus on self-reliance, family values, dignity and cooperation would move blacks away from the victimization theory to a point of more self-reliance, accountability, and, over time, economic upliftment.
