Introduction -- The empirical puzzle: the post-industrial divergence of Allentown and Youngstown -- Historical antecedents : the emergence and divergence of regional social structures, 1743-1945 -- Two critical choices : invoking social structure in crises -- How Allentown got its groove back :...

The state of poverty in the United States and Western Europe: five theoretical approaches seeking to explain the variance -- The challenge to America -- The historical experience -- Attitudes, beliefs, and values -- System differences as explanations -- The role of political elites -- The role...