Barriers to Self-Sufficiency: Are Wages and Welfare Enough? (Chapter 1 in Good Parents or Good Workers? How Policy Shapes Families' Daily Lives).

This chapter draws upon 14 years of related ethnographic studies to uncover the principal features that characterize family life among the poor. Experiences dealing with multiple agencies are discussed, as well as experiences dealing with health problems in the context of the U.S. medical care system, and the aftermaths of household emergencies. 34 references.