Lagging Sectors and Regions of the American Economy

Abstract

The problem of low incomes has a number of facets: (1) the economically disadvantaged groups in our society; (2) the low-income industries; (3) the low-income regions; and (4) the national costs arising from the underemployment of part of the labor force. Each of these adds something to the total picture and each involves some special policy issues. Also, while these various elements—group, industry, region, and nation—are interrelated, they are significant in themselves. The most severe difficulties arise when all these are compounded, as in the case of isolated agricultural regions with limited resources, worked-out land, small farms, and a majority of Negro farmers.