Center for the Study of Urban Poverty

PROFESSORS MELVIN OLIVER and Jim Johnson established the Center for the Study of Urban Poverty (CSUP) at the University of California in 1989. It exists to conduct research into issues relating to urban poverty and to strengthen capacity for future research and understanding by training undergraduate and graduate students, while supporting junior faculty members. Research has given rise to reports and publications and has fostered policy formulation and advocacy. The CSUP has established a reputation for creating and nurturing relationships with government agencies and other partners to create better researchers and social service providers.

The CSUP's research agenda focuses on three broad areas: poverty in Los Angeles, the working poor and transition to work, and disadvantaged low-skill workers. The location of the CSUP, in Los Angeles, means that it is placed in an environment in which large numbers of Latin American, Asian, and African immigrants first come to the United States, and the city offers numerous low-wage, low-skill jobs in both the formal and informal service sectors. As a result, Los Angeles offers an unusually interesting opportunity to study the dynamics of transitions into a large, complex, and flexible labor market. The lessons learned have wide application throughout the United States.

Research projects have included the Immigrants Organization Survey, which united the research efforts of four universities to study the creation and operation of formal and informal migrant organizations. These organizations can help new arrivals to integrate into society and, in particular, the labor market, as well as to maintain transnational links with their origin countries to provide information and resources to possible future arrivals.

The Geographic Skills Mismatch and Racial Differences in Search and Employment project considered the implications of racial housing segregation and job decentralization in many large North American cities. These factors often lead to areas of high unemployment in low-skilled ethnically alike areas as, for example, those of African Americans whose search strategies for work may be improved.

Other projects have considered barriers, potential barriers, and perceived barriers to entry into employment. Employer Demand for Ex-Offenders in Los Angeles and Perceived Criminality, Criminal Background Checks and the Racial Hiring and Practices of Employers were both projects investigating the attitudes of employers toward various groups of people who have experienced difficulty in obtaining employment.

Publications include working papers, research reports, poverty report cards, and policy briefs. Abel Valenzuela, Jr., has headed the CSUP since July 2001. Its importance lies not just in its research and policy formulation but also in helping to educate the public about the importance and role of migrant and low-skilled workers to the economy as a whole, and the problems that these people face.