Neoliberal Poverty Governance: Race, Place and the Punitive Turn in U.S. Welfare Policy By Sanford F. Schram Bryn Mawr College Richard C. Fording University of Kentucky Joe Soss University of Minnesota This article provides empirical evidence on the operation and effects of the neoliberal system of poverty governance emerging in the United States. Relying on data collected on Florida, a state recognized for innovation in implementing welfare reform, we present findings that demonstrate systematic inequities in the way sanctions are applied to clients who fail to comply with participation requirements in Florida's welfare-to-work program. Our findings underscore how the enduring influence of race, place and their interaction are critical to the emerging neoliberal system of poverty governance. To appear in the inaugural issue of the Cambridge Journal of Regions, Economy and Society