Hispanics and the Future of America


Book Description

Hispanics and the Future of America presents details of the complex story of a population that varies in many dimensions, including national origin, immigration status, and generation. The papers in this volume draw on a wide variety of data sources to describe the contours of this population, from the perspectives of history, demography, geography, education, family, employment, economic well-being, health, and political engagement. They provide a rich source of information for researchers, policy makers, and others who want to better understand the fast-growing and diverse population that we call "Hispanic." The current period is a critical one for getting a better understanding of how Hispanics are being shaped by the U.S. experience. This will, in turn, affect the United States and the contours of the Hispanic future remain uncertain. The uncertainties include such issues as whether Hispanics, especially immigrants, improve their educational attainment and fluency in English and thereby improve their economic position; whether growing numbers of foreign-born Hispanics become citizens and achieve empowerment at the ballot box and through elected office; whether impending health problems are successfully averted; and whether Hispanics' geographic dispersal accelerates their spatial and social integration. The papers in this volume provide invaluable information to explore these issues.










State Profiles


Book Description

Economic and demographic data for each U.S. state plus the District of Columbia are presented using charts, tables, and interpretive text. A ten-page profile for each state provides reliable, up-to-date information on a wide range of topics, including: population and labor force; income and poverty; government finances; economic structure; and more.







Patchwork Nation


Book Description

Though local and regional politics are often ignored in political-behavior literature, analyses of these areas are fundamental to understanding the scope of political change in the regimes experiencing realignment and for which there are no survey data. With the unprecedented population movement and socioeconomic mobility of the twentieth century, political support has been reshuffled in many parts of the country. Yet at the dawn of the new century, these local and regional movements are rather poorly understood. Patchwork Nation examines the forces that account for pervasive political regionalism and the geographic shifts that continue to alter the nation's political landscape. The authors focus on twelve states in particular, identifying regional differences in support for candidates or political parties and find that the electoral foundations for political regionalism differ from state to state. Thus, regionalism within states is not easily reducible to one or two population characteristics that are common to all states. The authors demonstrate the importance of a political geographic approach to American political behavior and challenge the tendency in the scholarly literature to ignore the impact and significance of local contexts. James G. Gimpel is Professor of Government and Politics, University of Maryland, College Park. Jason E. Schuknecht is a Research Analyst at Westat, Inc. in Rockville, Maryland.




Ethnic and Multicultural Drug Abuse


Book Description

Here in one volume is a compilation of cutting-edge research in the field of drug abuse research with specific ethnic-minority groups. This book suggests effective ways to conduct research and enhance research opportunities with such groups. Ethnic and Multicultural Drug Abuse includes summaries of ethnic-minority drug abuse literature and identifies knowledge gaps, highlighting areas in need of more research. The authors, most from African-American, American Indian, Asian Pacific-American, or Hispanic backgrounds, discuss topics related to the research development process, report research findings, and make research recommendations for African-Americans. They cover drug abuse research issues existing mainly among Asian Pacific-Americans and Hispanics and drug use patterns among a sample of American Indian youth and Alaskan youth. Throughout the book, informative chapters present guidelines for preparing competitive research proposals focus on studies of the major ethnic-minority groups examine adolescents and the homeless discuss theory and development provide extensive bibliographies for continuing research and study An excellent guide for facilitating the organization of a drug abuse research project emphasizing ethnic-minority issues, this much-needed book is a welcome resource for all professionals coping with the on-going struggle against drug abuse. It is a state-of-the-art book, full of helpful, practical information for counselors, researchers in the fields of mental health, drugs, and alcohol, and policy planners and administrators in the substance abuse field. Not only a guide and inspiration to persons contemplating a career in drug abuse research, Ethnic and Multicultural Drug Use serves as a useful training tool to assist in educating prospective drug abuse researchers at the graduate and upper level undergraduate levels.




Hispanic-American Health


Book Description