This book provides a complete picture of federal housing and community development policy during the last sixty years. Since the first edition was published in 1985, the quality and quantity of published works on U.S. housing policy have increased considerably. But this book still stands out from other works in the breadth of its coverage and analysis. This second edition covers virtually every major program that has attempted to provide housing for disadvantaged persons and compares and contrasts their underlying approaches to housing problems. It also examines the impact of major community...

Who Speaks for the Poor addresses the central question of how the interests of the poor gain representation in the political process by examining the interest group system. How do the interests of the poor gain representation in the political process? Perceived as uninvolved and virtually powerless, the poor do get attention from policy-makers. Although there is substantial evidence which shows that political participation and influence decrease as socio-economic status decreases, the federal government does have a budget for programs directed at the needs of the poor. R. Allen Hays closely...

This book addresses the central question of how the interests of the poor gain representation in the political process by examining the interest group system.