ɪn hɪz ɹˈaɪɾɪŋz ˌɔn pˈɑːvɚɾi, ɡˈænz ˈɔfɚd ɹˈɪɡɚɹəs, ˈɔfən skˈeɪðɪŋ kɹˈɪɾɪsˌɪzəm ʌvðə wˈiːknəsᵻz ʌv sˈʌtʃ kˈɑːnsɛpts æz "ðə kˈʌltʃɚɹ ʌv pˈɑːvɚɾi," ænd ðə "ˌʌndɚklˈæs," mˈoʊst nˈoʊɾəbli ɪnðə wˈɔːɹ ɐɡˈɛnst ðə pˈʊɹ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈaɪv.
In his writings on poverty, Gans offered rigorous, often scathing criticism of the weaknesses of such concepts as "the culture of poverty," and the "underclass," most notably in The War Against the Poor (1995).