ABSTRACT
For the first time in the twentieth century most adults in many innercity ghetto neighborhoods are not working in a typical week. The disappearance ofwork has adversely affected not only individuals, families, and neighborhoods, but the sociallife of the city at large as well. Inner-city joblessness is a severe problem that is often overlooked or obscured when the focus is placed mainly on poverty and its consequences. Despite increases in the concentration of poverty since 1970, inner cities have always featured high levels of poverty, but the current levels of joblessness in some neighborhoods are unprecedented.
