Latino Health Indicators and the Underclass Model: From Paradox to New Policy Models

Since the 1960s, the country's attention has occasionally focused on the plight of "minorities" in society. Rooted in concern for the plight of blacks in society, the issues of low income, poverty, and low educational attainment begged for some explanation. A model was developed to explain these outcomes, and to provide a basis for social policy. This model was that of the urban underclass.