Considering the extensive social and private benefits that higher education generates, ensuring inclusive access and success is essential to achieve social justice and economic efficiency. With this premise in mind, this article reviews current knowledge about equity promotion policies in higher education and what is known about the effectiveness…

This paper reflects on the experience of the 1999-2002 minority pipeline program (MPP) at the University of California, Riverside. With support from the American Economic Association, the MPP identified students of color interested in economics, let them explore economic issues affecting minority communities, and encouraged them to consider…

Despite the popular belief that affirmative action gives Black and Latino students an unfair advantage, these students are still underrepresented at the nation's selective colleges and at two- and four-year public colleges and universities in the vast majority of states. The truth is, it isn't enough to just believe that racial inequality is a…

Critics of affirmative action policies contend that the elimination of racial preferences in college admissions would lead to a "more-able" student body. We develop a simple model comprised of three classes of college admissions--merit, race and legacy--to show that it is possible that a change in admissions policy that reduces racial preferences…

Affirmative action policies in higher education are used in many countries to try to socially advance historically disadvantaged minorities. Although the underlying social objectives of these policies are rarely criticized, there is intense debate over the actual impact of such preferences in higher education on educational performance and labor…

This paper describes the results of a detailed study relating the performance of undergraduate students admitted to Brazil's State University of Campinas (Unicamp) from 1994 through 1997 and their socioeconomic and educational background. The study is based on a hierarchical model for the relevant variables involved. The main result is that…

The poor record of affirmative action plans in government demonstrates that the Carter administration's plan to reform the Civil Service is not working. It is the management that has failed to take the steps necessary to translate pronouncements into practice. (Author/EB)

Seven suggestions are offered for renewing affirmative action in higher education institutions: reinvigorate its moral roots; use a broad definition; study where it has worked well; support new scholarship on diversity; strengthen interinstitutional links; rewrite the language of racial relations; and address children's needs. (MSE)

In response to Federal and State laws that prohibit employment discrimination, the California State Personnel Board (SPB) instituted a series of programs and projects designed to overcome underrepresentation and underutilization of minority group members and women in civil service jobs. A subcommittee of the California Advisory Committee to the…

This study investigated communities in 10 randomly selected states to determine the extent to which Local Public Works (LPW) funds, which were disbursed according to procedures intended to benefit areas of unemployment and provide assistance for the chronically unemployed, were actually received in targeted low income or high minority areas. The…

This document presents the conclusions and recommendations of a study conducted to explain the inequalities faced by low-income women in job training, employment, and earnings. The study explored the dimensions of the problems such women face, possible solutions, and the extent to which a group of Health Education and Welfare (HEW) and HEW-related…

Without an institutional research office to look at recruitment and retention programs, DePauw University (Indiana) relies heavily on institutional trend data and comparative information to assess the effectiveness of three initiatives: recruitment of large numbers of minority students, strategic use of financial aid, and use of market…

To correct disparities between the racial and ethnic composition of its administrative and teaching staff and that of the state's population, the Hawaii Department of Education (which operates Hawaii's public school system) adopted an affirmative action plan in 1976. As shown by the department's progress reports for 1977-82, this plan has had…

In 1984, Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) received an Urban Community College Transer Opportunity Program (UCCTOP) grant to develop a successful transition model to encourage minority student enrollment at MDCC, North Campus, to improve minority students' success in transferring to four-year institutions, and to improve the retention rate of…

Employers and school admissions officials must consider several factors when making choices among applicants, particularly when faced with a need to increase selection of minority group members. Should different standards be applied to different groups? Will acceptance of less qualified applicants from one group affect the overall quality of the…