本文從60年代的貧窮文化論點為始，檢討60─90年代之間對於貧窮議題的解釋論點。我們藉由三個理論面向：缺乏取向、選擇取向與限制取向，去解析各個不同論點中的主要假定與論點之間的可能關係，並討論各個論點的限制與可能的政策意涵。檢視結果發現，各個論點中雖隱含著不同的假定，然而這些假定之間都有很密切的發展關係，在這之中貧窮文化的論點可視為60年代以降不同貧窮理論的主要源頭，各個理論莫不是對其的補充與批判建構而成。然而，在我們所論及的論點中，對於貧窮動態的解釋卻相當薄弱或根本忽略了。因此，本文的結論認為，我們應該重新將家庭帶回貧窮的解釋之中，透過對於家庭的研究，來補充以往理論的不足。 In this paper, we review theories of poverty over a 30-year period, namely, from the 1960s to 1990s. Theories of poverty can be grouped according to three general approaches and orientations: lack, choices, and constraint. From these there approaches we develop hypotheses specifying possible inter-relationships among poverty theories. Our analyses' findings indicate that "culture of poverty"remained the dominant theory during the 1960s to 1990s. Other theories basically either critique the "culture of poverty" concept or attempt to amend it. While many different hypotheses concerning poverty exist among the three main theories, they are nonetheless interrelated. Moreover, all these theories share a common weakness, namely, they are inadequate in accounting for poverty dynamics. Our study indicates a strong need to bring the issue of family back into the discussion on and theorizing of poverty dynamics.
