The Science and Politics of Ethnic Enumeration,

Abstract

In April 1980, the Bureau of the Census will begin its decennial effort to detail the ethnic composition of the American population. Its conclusions will be of much more than academic interest: Under current laws and regulations, the 1980 census reports on ethnicity will significantly influence everyone's access to education, employment, housing, and a wide assortment of federal benefits. It is therefore important for us as citizens as well as scientists to understand and assess the Bureau's plans for ethnic enumeration. Briefly, this paper argues that the Bureau does not known how to conduct a scientific ethnic census. That should not be surprising, because social science has yet to offer validated methodological instruction. In fact, the elements of a vicious circle are indicated. This essay concludes by recommending some specific steps the Bureau could take toward securing the knowledge it needs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1980
Accession Number
ADA095433

Entities

People

  • Ira S. Lowry

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Business Administration
  • California
  • Civil Rights
  • Demography
  • Education
  • Employment
  • Equal Employment Opportunity
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Minority Groups
  • National Politics
  • Native Americans
  • Public Policy
  • Social Sciences
  • Sociology
  • United States

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