Ready to Rent: Administrative Decisions and Poverty Governance in the Housing Choice Voucher Program

IF 7.1 1区社会学 Q1 SOCIOLOGY

American Sociological Review Pub Date : 2022-11-07 DOI:10.1177/00031224221131798

B. McCabe

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引用次数: 4

Abstract

Sociological studies of poverty governance investigate how state actors manage marginalized populations, regulate their participation in social institutions, and reform their behavior through systems of punishment and rewards. Research in this area considers a range of institutions involved in managing poverty, but it has largely ignored an institution omnipresent in the lives of the poor—public housing agencies (PHAs). Focusing on the Housing Choice Voucher program, the largest rental assistance program in the country, I examine discretionary choices made by PHAs that affect who gets access to rental assistance, how long clients have to wait, and what they must do to maintain their benefits. I ask how these administrative decisions create successive opportunities for state agencies to govern the poor. Drawing on interviews with agency officials, I describe a tripartite process of selecting market-ready households, engaging them in rituals of market formation, and utilizing market nudges to remind them of their responsibilities as market actors. This framework deepens sociological understandings of how local state agencies utilize discretionary choices in a resource-scarce, highly decentralized policy environment to evaluate, reform, and discipline the poor.

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准备出租：住房选择券计划中的行政决策和贫困治理

贫困治理的社会学研究调查了国家行为者如何管理边缘化人口，规范他们对社会机构的参与，并通过惩罚和奖励制度改革他们的行为。这一领域的研究考虑了一系列参与管理贫困的机构，但在很大程度上忽略了穷人生活中无处不在的一个机构——公共住房机构。我专注于住房选择券计划，这是美国最大的租房援助计划，研究了PHA做出的自由选择，这些选择会影响谁可以获得租房援助，客户需要等待多久，以及他们必须做些什么才能维持福利。我想知道这些行政决定是如何为国家机构治理穷人创造连续的机会的。根据对机构官员的采访，我描述了一个三方过程，即选择准备进入市场的家庭，让他们参与市场形成的仪式，并利用市场推动来提醒他们作为市场参与者的责任。该框架加深了社会学对地方国家机构如何在资源稀缺、高度分散的政策环境中利用自由选择来评估、改革和约束穷人的理解。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Sociological Review SOCIOLOGY-

CiteScore

13.30

自引率

3.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： The American Sociological Association (ASA) is a non-profit membership association established in 1905. Its mission is to advance sociology as a scientific discipline and profession that serves the public good. ASA is comprised of approximately 12,000 members including faculty members, researchers, practitioners, and students in the field of sociology. Roughly 20% of the members work in government, business, or non-profit organizations. One of ASA's primary endeavors is the publication and dissemination of important sociological research. To this end, they founded the American Sociological Review (ASR) in 1936. ASR is the flagship journal of the association and publishes original works that are of general interest and contribute to the advancement of sociology. The journal seeks to publish new theoretical developments, research results that enhance our understanding of fundamental social processes, and significant methodological innovations. ASR welcomes submissions from all areas of sociology, placing an emphasis on exceptional quality. Aside from ASR, ASA also publishes 14 professional journals and magazines. Additionally, they organize an annual meeting that attracts over 6,000 participants. ASA's membership consists of scholars, professionals, and students dedicated to the study and application of sociology in various domains of society.