Analysis Of Outcasts United By Warren St. John

Outcasts United from Economic and Sociological Perspective Outcasts United by Warren St. John is a wonderful book about a community of refugees who live in Clarkston, Georgia and their struggles to adapt with foreign environment of the United States. The book tells the stories of refugees that come from different background and countries in which they are connected together by an American- educated Jordanian woman called Luma Mufleh. Despite their difficulties in establishing new identity, they found their passion in soccer and with Luma Mufleh as their coach they create a soccer team called Fugees. In the early chapters of the book, it illustrates the difficulties to make a group of kids from different background unite and work together

There is sudden increase in housing demand while the supply of housing is limited. Furthermore, due to the characteristics of housing durability, there is little new housing as the rate of deterioration can be balanced with maintenance and renovation. In this situation, the demand for housing is put in line on the used instead of new housing. In the story, the refugee settlement committee placed the incoming refuges in the existing lower-class apartment complex in the community. These apartment complexes were abandoned before and it flourished again as refugees settle in and the committees were able to negotiate for the preservation of the apartment facilities that were long abandoned. In one positive viewpoint, the arrivals of refugees have saved the apartments from abandonment. However, due to neighborhood effect and high crime rate in the apartment complex, several refugees become involved in gang and other crime related activities for example, Two of Luma’s soccer players leave the team because they were involved in shooting incident while the other join gang and choose to give up on the team. Other effects on housing market is that as the demand for low class housing increases, the price becomes higher and middle class home owner sees this market as attractive. According to Filtering Model, high-income housing will eventually step down the ladder to middle-income

Their sudden arrivals have shocked labor market and created job competition in the market. There is also excessive demand in the housing market while the supply of housing is fixed. However, their arrivals have filled the dirty jobs such as drainage service which Native Americans are not interested to work in. They have revived the abandoned neighborhood by settling in the house and help contribute to the economy growth. I think this is an interesting story which can be analyzed from economic concept such as unemployment, discrimination, and housing issues are the main concept in the story. While analysis of opportunity cost and incentives are also required as we are evaluating the refugees’ motives to come to United States. After finished reading this book, I have learned that success always require hard work as proved by the refugees achievement in the Clarkston community. It also helps me in understanding economic concept deeper as it portrays their difficulties in job opportunities and neighborhood issue such as poverty, housing, and crime. I have also learned about political persecution is so fearful since it makes its people abandon their countries and live in a totally foreign place. However, as I read the book trying to understand the causes of the discrimination that the refugees face, I find no factors that can contribute to discrimination. The job that those refugees