Author Question: Why did the United States implement the laissez-faire approach to solve urban problems? What will ... (Read 47 times)

jasdeep_brar · **on:** Jul 2, 2018

Why did the United States implement the laissez-faire approach to solve urban problems?

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What are ghettos? Where are they generally concentrated in the U.S. cities?

What will be an ideal response?

Ptupou85 · **Reply #1 on:** Jul 2, 2018

Answer to Question 1

In the past 20 or more years, urban policy has changed dramatically, with a decided shift toward a more laissez-faire approach. The Reagan and Bush administrations argued that a strong and healthy economy is a far more promising approach to solving urban problems than direct federal intervention. For laissez-faire advocates, the key role of the federal government in solving urban problems is to keep the economy healthy, not to intervene directly with federal programs and funding. States and cities should be allowed to choose which services they need and want. The result of this shift has been a catastrophic decline in federal support for cities since 1980. Federal programs have been turned over to the states and cities, and the states and citiesin poor financial shape themselveshave drastically cut or eliminated the programs.

Answer to Question 2

The population shifts in cities in the United States have led to considerable residential segregation of racial and ethnic minorities. The term ghetto refers to a neighborhood inhabited largely by members of a single ethnic or racial group. In the early part of this century, Jews and Italians lived in urban ghettos; today, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians are the primary ghetto residents. They are concentrated in the central-city areas with the most severe urban problems.