ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book shows that over the period from 1972 to 1982, energy prices took a huge bite out of the household income of lower income families -- far larger than that of the middle or upper classes. It focuses on the bottom third of the income distribution scale -- roughly 23 million households with incomes below $10,000 in 1979. The book analyzes the impact of rising energy prices on public service delivery, and show that a similar dynamic process has eroded the living standard of lower income households by undermining public service delivery. It argues that rising energy prices have played a major part in disproportionately eroding the quality of life of the lower income population by causing a systematic deterioration of basic services on which that population depends — specifically, rental housing and the provision of local public services.
