Summary

Using the Kauffman Firm Survey (2004-2009) data, this study examines the type of funding sources Latina-owned businesses utilized during their first year of operation, compares the results with businesses owned by Latinos and women of other racial/ethnic groups, and examines the association of type of startup funds with business survivability. Previous literature suggests that businesses that lack formal funds at startup have more difficulty surviving in the long run. The study sample consists of 4,815 businesses at the baseline year (2004). Overall, the results of the analysis suggest that: (1) Latinos are significantly younger and have fewer years of work experience, on average, compared to White men, while Latinas do not significantly differ compared to White women; (2) Latina-owned businesses represent a larger percentage of businesses within the low technology sector and a smaller percentage of businesses within the medium and high technology sectors compared to White women, while Latinos do not significantly differ compared to White men; (3) Latinos use significantly more informal funds compared to White men, while Latinas do not significantly differ in their use of any type of startup funds compared to White women; and (4) Latino- and Latina-owned businesses are significantly more likely to go out of business compared to White male and female-owned businesses, regardless of the type of startup funds they utilize. This analysis also provides factors at both the owner and firm levels affecting business success. Implications for future research and policy recommendations are discussed. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Using the Kauffman Firm Survey (KFS) longitudinal dataset (2004-2009), this study examined the type of startup funding sources that Latino business owners utilized in their first year of operation, compared the results with businesses owned by other races/ethnicities, and explored the impact on firm survivability. Based on previous literature that suggests that formal (bank and financial institution) funds are vital to long term business success, we explored this hypothesis using a sample of 4,815 businesses at the baseline year (2004) with n=244 Latino-owned businesses. Overall, our results suggested that Latinos utilized a significantly (p > .05) larger percentage of informal funds as compared to Whites and a smaller percentage of formal funds and that Latino-owned businesses are at greater risk of going out of business compared to White-owned businesses regardless of startup fund type. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The focus of this paper is legislation in Midwestern states passed between January 2009 and June 2010 in relation to immigrants. Recent enacted legislation is a reflection of concrete efforts to influence how immigrants should be or are being received into communities; whether they should be excluded, ignored or integrated. The research question addressed is: What state-wide legislative policies are shaping the contexts of reception for Latino immigrants across the Midwestern states? A context of reception can be integrating, passively accepting, or exclusionary. We used content analysis of enacted immigration legislation in the Midwest and organized them into three categories: integrating, exclusionary or neutral, each with points of significant and moderate values, and neutral tending toward one or the other categories. Results show that of the policies that were enacted in 2009 and the first half of 2010, forty four laws were found to be integrating, thirty nine laws were exclusionary, and twelve laws were neutral. Illinois is the most inclusive state in the Midwest, and has the largest Latino population in the region. North Dakota and Michigan are moderately integrating, Kansas and Ohio are inclusive-neutral, South Dakota and Wisconsin are basically neutral, Minnesota and Indiana are exclusionary neutral, Missouri is moderately exclusionary, and Iowa and Nebraska are the most exclusionary. The data suggest that Midwestern states are situated across the full spectrum between inclusive and exclusive positions, and that the policy environment is very dynamic, especially given the results of the 2010 election. When it comes to the context of reception, the Midwest has been "on the fence," but is tending toward stronger exclusionary state policy stances. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

University of Illinois Extension, in partnership with Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Joliet, Illinois, offered a technology summer program for Hispanic youth from June 22 to July 22, 2009. The program, "Looking Back, Moving Forward," utilized self-directed learning activities during the entire program. Eight out of fourteen Hispanic students completed sixty hours of training by attending a three-hour class from Monday through Friday. There were seven females and one male whose ages ranged from twelve to seventeen years old. To assess students' knowledge before and after the program, they were administered pre- and post-tests. The highest score on the pre-test was 32 percent, but that went up to 88 percent on the post-test. To document the factors that affected students' learning, they completed a self-report card every day. Student reports on factors that positively affected their learning included: 1) sense of accomplishment; 2) excitement; 3) experimenting; 4) self-directed learning; 5) confidence; and 6) time management. Factors that limited students' learning included: 1) inability to complete tasks; 2) frustration; 3) equipment malfunctions; 4) uncertainty; and 5) tediousness. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Communities in the Midwest region have been experiencing demographic changes associated with a growing Latino population and an out-migration of the non-Latino population. These demographic changes have an impact on places and people and are linked to local social and economic conditions. The economic restructuring in the Midwest also had devastating effects on people, families, and communities, exacerbating old wounds of inequality and economic hardships. Racial/ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by these structural economic changes—they have on average lower levels of education, lower access to employment, and lower wages, all of which contribute to higher levels of poverty. Using a multilevel framework, this study investigates the integrated influences of race/ethnicity, location, and local opportunity structures on household poverty. Data are drawn from the 2005–2007 American Community Survey Public Use Microdata Sample data for the individual and household characteristics and from the American Community Survey Summary Files for labor market area characteristics. Results indicate that racial/ethnic minorities remain disproportionately disadvantaged in terms of household poverty. The odds of poverty are largely the result of differences in residential location and local labor market area socioeconomic and opportunity structures, net of the effects of individual and household characteristics, such as education, household structure, and industry of employment. These findings imply that improving the local labor market opportunity structures—i.e., creating and keeping good jobs in the Midwest, concomitant with improving education and job skills, and helping forgotten and disadvantaged communities—can better address the well-being of racial/ethnic minorities. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Using data from the 2007-2009 Annual Social and Economic supplement of the Current Population Surveys, this study explores the relationship between poverty and the health of children from various racial/ethnic minority and immigrant families in the Midwest. Findings show that: * Racial/ethnic minority children experience poorer health than Non-Hispanic White children; * Increased poverty among children predicts poorer children's health; and * Immigrant children have poorer health than natives, and second-generation immigrant children have poorer health than first- and third-generation immigrant children. This study demonstrates the health disadvantages of Midwestern children from racial/ethnic minority families faced by poverty. The gap in children't health between Non-Hispanic White and minority children persists even after accounting for the effects of immigrant status, poverty, family structure, parental education, health insurance coverage, and metropolitan/nonmetropolitan residence. Improving the economic well-being of all racial/ethnic minority and immigrant families would improve children's health. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This paper examines the effects of family social capital, community social capital and collective efficacy on childhood overweight, employing logistic regression models. Using data from the Child Development Supplement and the 2000 U.S. Census, we find that both parent-child involvement in activities and parental enforcement of rules reduce the odds of childhood overweight, controlling for family and child characteristics. We also find that high levels of community social capital and collective efficacy reduce the odds of childhood overweight, controlling for community, family and child characteristics. These findings suggest that interventions of childhood overweight should target social processes in children’s environments. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Research by Eisenman and Dantzker (2003, 2006) has suggested that male and female Hispanic college students may have sex attitudes that lead to conflict between the sexes. Findings are presented here from 330 university students which show possible areas of conflict and also areas of agreement. The results mostly supported evolutionary psychology theory, with 23 of the 38 sex attitude items showing statistically significant sex differences, and mostly in the expected direction. In addition, 19 of the 38 items showed statistically significant differences between Hispanics and non-Hispanics. However, for both comparisons, all of the differences were relatively small. Overall, there was more agreement than disagreement with the sex attitude items. Implications are discussed. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This study focuses on the impact of race/ethnicity, household structure, and socioeconomic status on health and assesses how household structure and socioeconomic status explain the racial/ethnic gaps in health among adults in the Midwest. Data are drawn from the Current Population Survey (CPS) for 2006-2008. Findings indicate that the odds of fair/poor health are higher for African Americans, Latinos, and other race/ethnic groups than those of non-Hispanic Whites. Also, the odds of fair/poor health are higher for single male-headed householders and single female-headed householders than they are for householders in dual-headed households. As might be expected, higher levels of education and higher incomes are associated with lower odds of fair/poor health, even after controlling for age, foreign-born status, home ownership, nonmetropolitan residence, job quality, and health insurance coverage. Findings also reveal that the gaps in health between Whites and African-Americans persist even after accounting for household structure, socioeconomic status, job quality, and health insurance coverage, and that the gaps in health between White and Latinos are fully explained by household structure socioeconomic status indicators. Of all factors, socioeconomic status indicators are the most important source of reduction in racial/ethnic gap in health. The results imply that interventions to improve socioeconomic conditions and strengthen households, especially single female-headed households, may reduce the racial/ethnic gaps in health. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Even with the steady advancement of Latinas to elective office since the 1990s, they continue to be underrepresented in public office. Their relative absence diminishes the diversity of the voices of marginalized groups in U.S. politics, while their presence adds to it. Latina officeholders represent multiple groups through their support and advancement of policies that promote the interests and address the needs of many. Latinas in public office are noted for their unique means of coalition building, a characteristic approach of Latina community and political activists, that emphasizes relational politics. Based on data collected through group interviews in San Antonio, Texas, this paper identifies patterns of variables that influence Latina considerations relative to running for public office. Specific findings include the following: 1) gender and ethnicity intersect for Latinas to influence their decision to run for public office; 2) group consciousness and family support provide Latinas with resources to overcome barriers to becoming candidates, and 3) familial obligations, institutional designs of public offices in Texas, and risks associated with running for office constrain the willingness of Latinas to run for public office. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This paper assesses the effectiveness of the Closing the Gaps Higher Education Plan approved and implemented by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in 2000 to improve the quality of higher education and address educational gaps prevalent among the stateÕs diverse populations. The plan targets the four areas for improvement: 1) student participation, 2) success, 3) excellence, and 4) research. This paper focuses only on the first and second goals. In addition to providing an overview of Closing the Gaps, a Latino Scorecard is presented for 34 of TexasÕ public universities based on eight institutional measures including resources, enrollments, graduation rates, student/faculty ratios, affordability, student diversity, faculty representativeness, and local population figures. The overall scorecard is produced by adding the z-scores for the eight measures for each institution. Negative values are assigned to two z-scores, one a measure of student/faculty equity and the other a measure of affordability. The negative values provide counterweights to the effects of Latino majority enrollments at South Texas institutions (a correlated variable) and to the relatively higher tuition costs at some institutions (another correlated variable). Statistical analyses show that Latino students are concentrated at institutions at the lower end of the StateÕs higher education stratification system, which are located in South Texas where this population is concentrated. They also show that these institutions received fewer resources than those institutions at the top of the system. Consequently, while the scorecard ranks the institutions in terms of how well they do by Latinos, the statistical analyses shows that geographic location is related to Latino enrollments and institutional resources are related to Latino graduation rates. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

It is sometimes said that the hallmark of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. This maxim succinctly describes the U.S. government’s long-standing approach to the problem of undocumented immigration. Since the mid-1980s, the federal government has tried repeatedly, without success, to stem the flow of undocumented immigrants to the United States with all sorts of immigration-enforcement initiatives: deploying more and more agents, fences, flood lights, aircraft, cameras, and sensors along the southwest border with Mexico — increasing the number of worksite raids and arrests conducted throughout the country — expanding detention facilities to accommodate the hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants apprehended each year — and creating new bureaucratic procedures to expedite the return of detained immigrants to their home countries. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This study evaluates the important role that social capital plays in the Latino immigration process into the Grand Rapids, Mich. metropolitan area. Demographic data published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census shows that the number of Latinos moving to Grand Rapids has increased considerably during the last decade. Latino immigrants tend to cluster in well-defined urban areas where they put pressure on local resources, including housing, education, health and municipal services, and to the job market. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The Health and Migration section research dealt with the health of populations residing in South Texas colonias, which generally are unincorporated settlements with low living standards and residents who are largely isolated from the U.S. medical system. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

El concepto de Capital Social es profusamente utilizado en ciencias sociales desde la década del noventa a partir de las contribuciones de autores como Bourdieu, Coleman, Putnam y Portes, y constituye probablemente una de las innovaciones más prometedoras de la teoría social contemporánea. En años recientes, ha generado un importante debate académico respecto de su definición y, consecuentemente, respecto de las dimensiones e indicadores adecuados para su análisis empírico. Paralelamente, se ha vuelto un componente importante de las formulaciones de los organismos multilaterales, las agencias de cooperación e incluso parte del discurso de dirigentes políticos, funcionarios y periodistas al referirse a los problemas de las sociedades latinoamericanas y sus posibles soluciones, ya que el concepto aparece como especialmente apto para la elaboración de políticas orientadas a la inclusión.

Note:This publication is currently only available in Spanish

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Summary

Nearly a decade ago, the EPA implemented comprehensive regulations intended to protect farmworkers from the harmful effects of pesticides in the workplace. These “Worker Protection Standards” mandated that farmworkers receive training in the avoidance of pesticide exposure and what to do if an exposure occurs. The WPS was a sign of progress in the area of occupational health of farmworkers, and brought farmworkers closer to receiving some of the protections provided by federal law. In 1996, JSRI published a research report which examined the history, requirements, and implementation of the WPS. That report discussed the absence of information available in Michigan about farmworker health and occupational illness. This research report updates to the earlier one, examining issues affecting the implementation and efficacy of the WPS since 1996, and examing what can be learned from recent information on the occupational health of farmworkers regarding pesticide exposures in the fields. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This pilot study examined the use of health services by families with children on CHIP and Medicaid. The project focused on how families in Mission, a small city in South Texas near the border with Mexico, used the programs. The study found increasingly efficient use of health services over time, including a statistically significant drop of nearly 80% in the use of the emergency room from the first to the second year of the study. Preventive care was used regularly by most families in the study as measured through rates of visiting the dentist and getting an eye examination; however, those rates fell immediately and drastically after the state legislature cuts in CHIP came into effect in the fall of 2003. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

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Summary

The purpose of this study was to explore factors, other than patient knowledge, that might explain low use of cervical and breast cancer screening among Hispanic women. A questionnaire was used to assess knowledge of screening recommendations and self-reported adherence among 70 older Hispanic women in Texas. Most had high knowledge levels, but this did not predict adherence. Fourteen women, all with high knowledge levels, also answered a semi-structured qualitative interview. Barriers to screening discussed in qualitative interviews included transportation, time, cost, and believing screening to be unnecessary following previous negative screening, or when sexual activity is absent. Reminders and referrals from primary care providers were key to reported adherence. Establishing policies and procedures to assure consistent cancer screening reminders and referrals may improve rates of cancer screening among women similar to those in our study, especially in settings where there is little opportunity to develop long-term patient-provider relationships. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

In at least one sense, the so-called "American century" is ending much as it began: the United States has become a nation of immigrants and is again being profoundly transformed. Central to that transformation are the modes of incorporation of today's immigrants - and more consequentially still, of their offspring. Immigrant children and U.S.-born children of immigrants - the fastest-growing segment of the United States' child population - accounted for 15% of all American children in 1990, including about 60% of all Hispanic children and an overwhelming 90% of all Asian-American children (Zhou, 1997); today, based on analysis of the 1997 Current Population Survey1, they number 13.7 million, or nearly 20% of all American children. The last census counted 2 million foreign-born children under 18, and another 6 million U.S.-born children under 18 living with immigrant parents (Oropesa and Landale, 1997). Between 1990 and 1997, the immigrant population increased from 20 to 27 million, with the number of their children growing commensurately. By 1997, there were 3 million foreign-born children and nearly 11 million U.S.-born children under 18 with at least one foreign-born parent. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This report examines welfare reforms in five Midwest states, following the Responsibility Act of 1996. The states,Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, are selected because of their geographic proximity and because of their unique policies and programs. These programs are reviewed, compared, and assessed in this report. An important finding is the disparity between claims of success in reducing welfare dependency against the apparent persistence of poverty, hunger, and other related social problems for millions of children and working poor. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This study looks at the underutilization of hospice by elderly Mexican-American women in Lansing, Mich. The hospice literature refers to "barriers" as reasons why Mexican-Americans do not use hospice and discusses three different categories: curanderos, familismo, and fatalism. This study analyzes the claims made by the hospice literature and tests its validity by interacting and interviewing Mexican-American elderly women at Lansing's Cristo Rey Community Center. The results showed that the claims about familismo and fatalism were still important elements which affected the women's beliefs on death and dying and the use of hospice; however, there was no reported use of curanderos. It was also shown that there is not a "need" for hospice, for an informal hospice already exists. Therefore, in order for hospice to understand the underutilization of its services, it is necessary to speak to the people of minority communities. In this way, they are able to tell, in their own words (en sus propias palabras), of their need for help in dealing with death and dying. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The focus of this paper will be on two expanding enclaves, one in Kennett Square and the other in nearby Toughkenamon. Mexican immigration, residential concentration, and housing and living conditions will be presented in the two cases. A brief demographic and socioeconomic profile of the immigrant and migrant populations will also be included. Additionally, the arrival of the Mexicans in these communities and others will be contextualized within other population changes in Southern Chester County, namely the settlement of White professionals immigrating from surrounding metropolitan areas and the exodus of Blacks. The reasons behind the growth of the Mexican enclaves will also be covered in the paper. It will be argued that the mushroom industry and the Special Agricultural Workers (SAW) Program together are responsible for the on going Mexican enclave process. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

In the spring of 1989, funded by the University of Nebraska-Omaha, Lourdes Gouveia selected Lexington, Nebraska, as a site to examine the changes expected to result from the opening of a large meatpacking plant and the arrival of Latinos. The selection was based on consultations with staff from the Center for Rural Affairs in Walthill, Nebraska, which had closely monitored the farm crisis of the 1980's. It was also based on consultations with Don Stull of the University of Kansas, who had conducted a similar study in Garden City, Kansas and had visited Lexington earlier in 1989. In the summer of the same year, Don Stull and Michael Broadway, from State University of New York-Geneseo, received funding from their respective universities to begin research in Lexington. Through a coordinated effort, we began collecting baseline socioeconomic and demographic data and interviewing key informants. At that time, the presence of new Latino migrants in town was barely perceptible. Thus, our initial efforts were directed at interviewing and collecting information from individuals representing the various agencies and community segments we expected to be most affected by the incoming changes. The Aspen Institute and the Ford Foundation funded the team to conduct additional work during 1992, and the University of Kansas funded Stan Moore, a bilingual doctoral student to conduct fieldwork during the same year. Lourdes Gouveia has received additional funding on a relatively continuous basis since her first entry into the community which has allowed her to follow Latinos and Latinas' migration and settlement trajectories since their initial arrival in Lexington. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Data from the 1979 National Chicano Survey were analyzed using a path analysis model to examine the effects of wife's employment on the psychological well-being of Mexican-American men. Three hypotheses were examined. First, Mexican-American husbands whose wives are employed will not provide more help with household chores than their counterparts whose wives are not employed. Second, Mexican-American males who provide more help with household chores will report lower levels of marital satisfaction. Third, Mexican-American husbands whose wives are employed, who help more with household chores, and who report lower levels of marital satisfaction will experience higher levels of depression. The results show limited support for the model. While Mexican-American husbands do contribute more to household chores when their wives are employed, this participation is not significantly related to the level of marital satisfaction or the levels of depression. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This research report is based on my doctoral dissertation. I would like to acknowledge and thank my advisor, Dr. Refugio I. Rochín, for the assistance that was given me in completing the dissertation. The help I received was indispensable. I also wish to thank my committee members, Dr. Clifford Broman, Dr. Thomas Conner, and Dr. Francisco Villarruel, for their help and guidance in the process of researching and writing the dissertation. Lastly, I would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Christopher Vanderpool for his support throughout my graduate career at Michigan State University. This report was written while I was a Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Julian Samora Research Institute, which funded the project. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Contrary to common belief, Latinos living in the United States comprise a heterogeneous population with diverse cultural backgrounds. The last U.S. Population Census identified the geographic origin of the 22.4 million Latinos as follows: 63% Mexican, 12% Puerto Rican, 12% Central and South American, 5% Cuban, and 8% an unidentified country.1 While Spanish is the common language to most Latinos, other cultural characteristics, particularly food practices, are unique to specific countries and even specific regions within a country. Often the same food is consumed in many countries, but the preparation methods and integration of foods into the meal pattern vary from one country to another. For example, while beans are consumed in most Latin American countries, refried beans are consumed mostly in Mexico. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

A racial/ethnic analysis of total adult male admissions in six Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (DCS) facilities for a 5-year period, from 1987 to 1991, shows Latino admissions almost doubling. Interestingly, the majority of Latino males sentenced to Nebraska penal facilities enter the system from Panhandle County, a sparsely populated rural agricultural county. Census data indicate that Latino prison admissions in Nebraska and, even more so, in Panhandle County are highly disproportionate to respective 1990 state and county population figures. In addition, a comparison of Latino imprisonment rates in eight counties with Latino populations of 1,000 or more shows Latinos entering the prison system at higher rates from smaller rural counties. Finally, bivariate and multivariate analyses of Panhandle County district court records point to a double standard of justice in Panhandle County favoring Anglos over Latinos and Native Americans. This publication was presented to the Graduate College faculty at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts degree. It was prepared under the supervision of Professor Jay Corzine, 1992. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Not only are Anglo-Americans consistently regarded as perpetrators but African-American minorities are consistently regarded as victims. In fact, "minority" is a political term that includes an ever-expanding assortment of races and ethnic groups differentiated from Anglo-Americans by skin color. This view of "minority" does not take account of the historical miscegenation among an increasingly indistinct Puerto Rican population. This paper will attempt to move the dialogue addressing racism from discussions of "race" to discussions of skin color. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Despite their continued concentration in the Southwest, Mexican Americans have migrated to Midwest throughout the 20th century. This paper provides a historical overview describing the movement of Mexican Americans between the Southwest and Midwest over the century. The major focus of the analysis, however, is on the contemporary migration of Mexican Americans between these two regions. It is predicted that in light of the well-established historical migration routes between the Southwest and Midwest, the more favorable economic conditions of the Midwest in the 1980s relative to the earlier decade, and the expanding employment opportunities for Mexican Americans and other Latinos in certain industrial sectors in the Midwest, the net flow of Mexican American migrants occurred from the Southwest to the Midwest in the 1985-1990 period. The analysis seeks to assess this prediction and to determine the extent to which this pattern is observed across states in the region. Data from the 1990 Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) are used to conduct the analysis. The results demonstrate a net flow of Mexican Americans in the expected direction (i.e., from the Southwest to the Midwest), with the Midwest experiencing a net gain of nearly 7,400 migrants who moved between the two regions in the 1985-1990 period. While all states except Illinois and South Dakota experienced net gains of Mexican American migrants, Kansas, Minnesota, and Michigan were the only ones whose net gains were larger than 1,000. A variety of other more indepth analyses are also reported in the paper. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This article on the migration and integration of Latinos into the community of Adrian, Michigan begins with a state-level descriptive analysis of the composition and change in the Latino population over the decade of the 1980's. The observations made are contrasted with the findings of a similar analysis of the Latino population in Adrian. The manuscript proceeds with a brief history of what first drew "Mexican" workers to the Adrian area and how they were welcomed as citizens. The historical overview is followed by a discussion on different indicators of Latino integration as reflected by recent socioeconomic conditions. After a concluding section on Latinos in Adrian the manuscript proceeds to a discussion on the policy implications of the research findings for immigration reform, and for social policy related to the migration and integration of Latinos and other minority groups. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

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This paper summarizes laws and conditions up to December 1996. There are numerous on-going revisions and amendments both at the federal and state levels. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

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Colonias represent an emerging category of American communities, gaining prominence in recent years. Colonias are typically rural, located in the Southwest, and characteristically "Chicano" or "Mexican" in nature. Conversely, other residents, like Whites or "Anglos," are numeric minorities within colonias. Today there may be easily 1,000 colonias within the Southwest, with as many as a half million residents. Their numbers are increased significantly every year, since 1990. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The topic of my presentation certainly has been in the spotlight over the last year. California's Proposition 187 was an initiative passed by the voters by a 59-41% margin. If implemented, the initiative would bar state and local governments in California from providing non-emergency health care and social services and public education to undocumented immigrants. It would further require California law enforcement, health and social service agencies, and public school officials to report persons suspected of being undocumented to the Immigration and Naturalization Service. There was much media hoopla surrounding the Proposition 187 campaign in the fall of 1994. The initiative received national attention. The true test of this was that the New York Times ran an editorial on the subject. Even a couple of prominent national Republicans, Jack Kemp and Bill Bennett, publicly announced their opposition to the measure. This national concern was justified. Many voters in California desired to "send a message" to the federal government. There apparently was a desire to get the federal government to deal with illegal immigration. Events in Congress over the last few weeks demonstrate that this message has had an impact. I will attempt to analyze three discrete aspects of Proposition 187 in this report: (1) the racial undercurrent to the campaign; (2) the disparate impact that the measure may have on certain immigrant communities; and (3) the legal challenges to Proposition 187 that in all likelihood will ultimately be addressed by the United States Supreme Court. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Utilizing data from the 1990 Panel Study of Income Dynamics Preliminary Release File, this paper examines patterns of disability and estimates the differential costs attributed to disability status for Anglo, Black and Latino men. The analysis reveals considerable variation in the prevalence of disability. When examining prevalence across racial and ethnic groups, Puerto Rican men have the highest rates of disability, regardless of the indicator used to measure disability; Anglo men report the lowest rates. Multivariate analyses reveal that poor health and the presence of a work disability were significant predictors of the labor force participation and earnings of men. These analyses also suggest that the economic well-being of Blacks and Latinos is further constrained by the costs associated with carrying "additional minority" statuses, lending partial support to the notion of double or triple jeopardy. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Rural California is becoming increasingly Latino [1]. At the same time, the economic well-being of California's agricultural communities is becoming increasingly defined by the race and ethnicity of residents. A number of studies have noted that communities with high concentrations of Latinos tend to have greater economic and social problems. [2] Most studies have focused on immigration from Mexico and other parts of Latin America as the cause of both the increasing concentration of Latinos, and decreasing community well-being. However, these studies have neglected the concurrent changes that are occurring with the non-Latino white population. Therefore, this paper examines both the out-migration of non-Hispanic whites and the in-migration of Latinos in rural California, to better understand the relationship between ethnicity and the economic well-being of California's rural communities. The first part of the paper uses a database of 126 rural California communities to compare and contrast demographic changes (over 1980-90) in Latino and non-Latino population, and to examine the degree to which White out-migration and Latino in-migration correlate with community socio-economic indicators. The second part of the paper uses in-depth qualitative data to examine several communities in the San Joaquin valley. Through analysis of community social capital, intergroup conflict and cooperation, and local perceptions of economic opportunities, we examine some of the dynamics underlying the broader migration, settlement, and economic trends discussed in the first part of the paper. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Until very recently, little attention has been paid to the occupational safety of the huge migrant and seasonal workforce which provides our nation with fruits and vegetables. This paper describes the new Worker Protection Standards. These are federal regulations put into effect in 1995, which are intended to provide an increased measure of safety to farmworkers against pesticide poisoning on the job, by mandating employer-provided training in pesticide safety. This paper explores the complex issues surrounding state implementation of these federal pesticide laws, and how that interaction works in Michigan. Finally, this paper looks at what is known and what is not known about the condition of the farmworker population in Michigan, focusing on the dearth of information on the occupational injury and illness rates of farmworkers. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Using the High School and Beyond dataset, this report attempts to determine whether the economic concept known as "social capital" can help explain the academic achievement of Latino students. The report also relates the pre-labor market environment of youth to the basic economic theories which try to account for the status of Latinos in the labor market. Specifically, the report assesses the importance of human, financial and social capital in determining the academic (and life) outcomes of Latino youth. While the report initially posits the role of financial, human and social capital available in the three separate pre-labor market environments of the home, school and community, many of these aspects of the study eventually drop out. The concepts of financial and human capital provided by the home are replaced by the composite variable of socioeconomic status (SES). In addition, the High School and Beyond dataset does not provide sufficient information on the community to allow for measurement of any type of "capital" in that realm; nor is the human and financial capital provided by the school environment operationalized. Hence, the report is left to focus on measuring the social capital available to the student (Latino and non-Latino) at home and in the school, holding in consideration the SES and the student's own effort level (measured in hours spent on homework). Confirmatory Factor Analysis is the selected method; Latino and White students are the selected populations. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

In this study, Dr. Jackson examined the stereotypic characteristics and values, emotions, and behaviors associated with Hispanics by Anglos. Stereotypic characteristics and values indicated generally negative perceptions of Hispanics (e.g., less productive and intelligent, more physically violent), although a few positive characteristics and values (e.g., strong family values) were associated with the group. The best predictors of overall attitudes toward Hispanics were emotion and behavior, with stereotypic characteristics and values contributing little to the prediction. Findings are discussed in terms of the need to examine sources of negative perceptions of Hispanics and methods for changing such perceptions. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The amount of research examining poverty among Latinos has increased over the last decade. However, this body of literature is primarily based upon individual-level analysis, particular regions of the country, and metropolitan areas. This research examines poverty in Midwest Latino counties (defined as those containing at least 500 Latinos) in 1989 as well as changes in poverty between 1979 and 1989. The analysis is guided theoretically by an integrated model which identifies four groups of factors that are related to the percent of Latino families having incomes below the poverty level. The four groups of factors include variables reflecting the demographic structure of Latinos, Latino human capital, Latino employment conditions, and the geographic and industrial settings where Latinos reside. Data from the 1980 and 1990 Census Bureau's Summary Tape Files 3C (STF3C) are used in the analysis. Results from ordinary least squares (OLS) multiple regression provide support for the usefulness of the integrated model, especially in the cross-sectional analysis based on the 1990 census. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

The purpose of this study is to investigate how preservice teachers, or white prospective teachers, perceive students' multiple literacies in school and non-school settings. "Multiple literacies" refers to the literacy usages that differ from how literacy is used in school settings, most often reflecting those usages in the dominant culture. As most previous studies have revealed inadequate multicultural teacher education programs, Malenka believes that insight into this issue will help to inform the broader question of how teacher educators can help preservice teachers learn to incorporate non-school literacies into classroom literacy instruction. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This report is a compilation of charts, tables and text measuring the differences in statistics such as annual payroll, employment, firm, and receipts for businesses in Michigan and the United States owned by minorities and women. The term "minorities" in this case refers to blacks, persons of Hispanic or Latin American ancestry, persons of American Indian ancestry, and persons of Asian or other minority origin or descent. The charts provide the reader with a quick method for comparing basic economic data for these groups as well as for women in Michigan and in the United States. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Worldwide, agricultural laborers struggle to meet the basic needs of their families, doing work that remains arduous and low paying and that entails substantial occupational health risks. In the United States, research studies continue to document the exploitation experienced by this hard working, but socially invisible, occupational group (Bade, 1993; Barger and Reza, 1987; Griffith and Kissam, 1995; Guendelman, 1991; Johnson, 1985; Koos, 1957; Martin and Martin, 1994; Palerm, 1994; Villarejo,2000; Wells, 1996). The low-income California residents who are the focus of this research are California's working poor - farmworker families. This occupational group is unique in that many safety regulations governing other occupational groups are not applied to agricultural labor. In the midst of California's agricultural prosperity, this group of workers remains largely hidden in our society. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This report provides a Latino-focused assessment of the changing economic and demographic landscape of the Midwest between 1980 and 1990. The key findings include the fact that Latinos captured the bulk of population growth over the decade, while sustaining a major loss in real income and experiencing significant increases in poverty. Whites and Blacks also lost out economically, but Whites' losses were less extensive, while Blacks' were devastating. As a result, an increasing gap separates Whites from Latinos and Blacks on indicators of well-being in the Midwest. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This directory of Migrant service agencies in Michigan was compiled as part of the Institute's research on the contributions, characteristics, needs and services of and for Michigan's migrant seasonal agricultural workers (see the Institute Research Report-01, Migrant and Seasonal Workers in Michigan). The Institute acknowledges that the directory is by no means a complete list of organizations helpful to migrant farm workers in the State, but is only a list of information available at the time of the above mentioned study. This directory is intended to be used for reference purposes only, and is not to be considered an endorsement of the agencies listed.This directory of Migrant service agencies in Michigan was compiled by the author as part of the Institute's research on the contributions, characteristics, needs and services of and for Michigan's migrant seasonal agricultural workers (see the Institute Research Report-01, Migrant and Seasonal Workers in Michigan). View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Dr. Torres stresses in the foreword of his report the lack of organized information on the health status of Latinos in the U.S. Midwest region. The importance of this information has increased as the Hispanic population of this region has increased. In this report, the author has organized information from article journals, unpublished documents, and state health departments. He covers a wide range of health issues including chronic diseases, drug abuse and maternal and child health. His findings are presented in graphic form and the report also includes a section entitled "Highlights" that covers in brief a wide range of health issues for Latino groups in various areas of the Midwest. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

Dr. Santiago provides a portrait of the changing profile of the Latino population in the Midwest. This paper is intended to serve as a reference resource as well as to provide a mechanism for the exchange of information and the development of public policy. The major policy issues addressed in this paper include: 1) the changing demographic structure and growth of the Latino population; 2) the changing nature of Latino families; 3) the impact of economic restructuring on Latino participation in the labor force and growing economic inequality; 4) the educational status of Latinos in light of post-industrial economic development; and 5) the relationship between residential status and Latino socioeconomic well-being. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")

Summary

This study documents the circumstances faced by Michigan's migrant and seasonal farm workers. Information for this study was taken from secondary sources such as reports and census data and from respondents to a statewide survey of service providers. Several products emerged from this study: a directory of service agencies and descriptions of their programs; estimates of farm worker numbers; a prioritization of farm worker needs; an assessment of the issues facing service providers; and an agenda for further research. Most importantly, the report provides an up-to-date analysis of the demand for and supply of migrant and seasonal farm workers in Michigan. The authors also review history to demonstrate that farm labor has remained unchanged in Michigan during the past 25 years. Finally, this study examines farm worker needs as reported by a majority of Michigan's service providers. View PDF (to download, right click on the link and select "save link as")