Macro-Level Social Forces and Micro-Level Consequences: Poverty, Alternate Occupations, and Drug Dealing

• NCJ Number: 231371
• Journal: Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Abuse Volume: 9 Issue: 2 Dated: April-June 2010 Pages: 115-127
• Author(s): Eloise Dunlap; Bruce D. Johnson; Joseph A. Kotarba; Jennifer L. Fackler
• Date Published: April 2010
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article is an empirical examination of the ways in which macro-level social forces have had micro-level consequences in the New Orleans drug market.

Abstract

The article illustrates a clear connection between poverty and entrance into the drug market, as mitigated by race, lack of societal opportunity, lack of social capital, distressed families, and closed neighborhoods. Specifically, the research illustrates the mechanisms by which macro-level social forces intersect to legitimize drug dealing as a viable alternative method of acquiring money and social capital. These intersecting macro-level social forces, such as poverty, race, family structure, and neighborhood characteristics, ultimately constrain the life chances of those living in the inner city irrespective of personal traits, individual motivations, or private achievements. Tables and references (Published Abstract)