Probing Upper-Class Views on the Causes and Functionality of Poverty in North Mexico

Abstract

Throughout time, various social scientists have expressed concerns over the social effects of stigmatizing people in poverty. One political implication is that this stigmatization could contribute to solidifying existing poverty relations in the interest of elites. To explore the relevance of such predominantly Western ideas in the context of very unequal countries, this article examines the views of upper-class Mexicans in the city of Monterrey on the causes and functionality of poverty. We present results based on combined data from focus groups with young upper-class participants and local survey data on attitudes toward poverty.