History Of Affirmative Action Research Articles

Affirmative action challenges keep on keeping on: responding to shifting federal and state policy

ABSTRACT In response to disparities in postsecondary access, governments have enacted policies to facilitate the admission of traditionally underrepresented students. Known as affirmative action in the United States, the legal justification of this approach has varied. This article describes the legal and political history of affirmative action, the social justice and then diversity rationales, and the importance of state policies and institutions. The article focuses attention on the responses of three highly diverse US states – Texas, California, and Florida – to postsecondary affirmative action bans affecting their public flagship institutions. Each developed race-neutral achievement-oriented percentage plans intended to promote socioeconomic and racial diversity in their states' institutions; these approaches did not meet their intended aims. While inequality shows no sign of shrinking, US institutions and administrators must continue to adapt to a shifting landscape of state and federal policies poised to further curtail these diversity and social justice efforts.

Impact of Affirmative Action in Higher Education for the Other Backward Classes in India

This paper measures the impact of quota-based affirmative action in higher education (HE) in India for Other Backward Classes (OBC), implemented from 2008. Since the immediate impact would be felt by OBCs who were eligible to go to college at the time of the implementation, we compare the differences in participation in HE by the younger (18-23 years) and the older (24-29 years) age groups within eligible OBCs, with similar differences in the general caste population. The same double difference is also compared across states with different histories of affirmative action to ascertain if there are regional variations in the impact of the policy, with the expectation that the impact would be higher in regions with no history of affirmative action. Our results from the Difference in Difference (DD) estimates based on National Sample Survey data for 2011-12 do not show a positive impact of the policy on the participation of OBCs. In fact, the impact seems to be negative in all regions, though statistically insignificant, except the East which lacks the long history of affirmative action. A comparison of the East without a long history of affirmative action with the South having a long history of such policy, using triple difference method, produces positive treatment effects, but the estimate loses statistical significance once we control for observable covariates. Our results suggest that the generalized nation-wide policy of this kind may not be relevant for issues which are more regional in nature.

The Spiritual Dimension of Social Justice

The Spiritual Dimension of Social Justice

The History of Affirmative Action in the USA: A Teaching and Learning Guide

AbstractThis Teaching and Learning Guide is designed to accompany my Sociology Compass article on affirmative action. The sample syllabus is organized historically beginning with FDR's New Deal and the first use of the term affirmative action and ending with the most recent Supreme Court's deliberations on this policy. In doing so, it attends not only to the varied meanings and forms of affirmative action across time but also the different interest groups arguing for and against this remedial policy. Along the way, it explores the changing history of race relations in the USA, considers the value of personal narratives as sources in exploring meaning and personhood, examines the ways the news media has framed the debate in contemporary America, and finally, speculates about the future of this controversial policy.

Race-Based Affirmative Action in Higher Education: Has a Decade Made a Difference?

Affirmative action has been at the center of political debate and discourse since its inception in the 1960s. In 1978, the U.S. Supreme Court legitimized the consideration of race as a factor in higher education admissions in University of California v. Bakke, finding diversity may be a compelling government interest. However, in the last decade, this debate has been particularly focused on whether race is an appropriate criterion for establishing diversity in higher education. Proponents of race-based affirmative action see this policy as a means to correct past discrimination, eliminate present discriminatory practices, and level the playing field for various minority groups. Opponents, however, see race-based affirmative action in terms of reverse discrimination, race-based preferential treatment, and a dated practice in our present day color-blind society. The Court’s decision in Grutter v. Bollinger in 2003 provided vague guidelines for race-based admissions for the 21st Century. However, just a decade later, the Court is re-evaluating its decision in the upcoming Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin. This case will determine the relevance of race-based affirmative action in the higher education application process. This decision will necessarily have a profound impact on the admissions practices available to universities nation-wide. It will also determine whether O’Connor’s 25-year prediction in Grutter was accurate or longer than necessary. Despite the outcome in Fisher, the use of race as a dividing factor in admissions is on the decline. Several states have already banned its use in order to create a more color-blind society. In order for our society to evolve, Americans can no longer see diversity as making sure different colors are in a room, but instead, focus on different ideas. Consequently, it is important to shape higher education admissions based on this different ideas and backgrounds. This Note will argue the most appropriate way to develop this new type of diversity is to replace race-based affirmative action with a system so as to consider socioeconomic status. Part II of this Note will take a brief look at the history of affirmative action in higher education admissions, including the public policy surrounding its implementation and the litigation it triggered. Part III will address the current status of affirmative action in university admissions and outline the arguments in the upcoming Fisher case. Finally, Part IV will show, as the Court is likely to rule race-based affirmative action unconstitutional, why an affirmative action policy based on socio-economic status (SES) would be an appropriate alternative to establish diversity, both in policy and legal terms.

Constructing affirmative action: the struggle for equal employment opportunity

Between 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson defined affirmative action as a legitimate federal goal, and 1972, when President Richard M. Nixon named one of affirmative action's chief antagonists the head of the Department of Labor, government officials at all levels addressed racial economic inequality in earnest. Providing members of historically disadvantaged groups an equal chance at obtaining limited and competitive positions, affirmative action had the potential to alienate large numbers of white Americans, even those who had viewed school desegregation and voting rights in a positive light. Thus, affirmative action was -- and continues to be -- controversial.Novel in its approach and meticulously researched, David Hamilton Golland's Constructing Affirmative Action: The Struggle for Equal Employment Opportunity bridges a sizeable gap in the literature on the history of affirmative action. Golland examines federal efforts to diversify the construction trades from the 1950s through the 1970s, offering valuable insights into the origins of affirmative action--related policy. Constructing Affirmative Action analyzes how community activism pushed the federal government to address issues of racial exclusion and marginalization in the construction industry with programs in key American cities.

The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

Journal Article The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action Get access Anderson Terry H.. The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. xiv, 320 pp. $18.95 (paper). J. Edward Kellough J. Edward Kellough University of Georgia Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar American Journal of Legal History, Volume 48, Issue 3, July 2006, Pages 338–340, https://doi.org/10.2307/25434814 Published: 01 July 2006

Book Review: The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

Book Review: The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

Increasing the number of psychologists of color: Public policy issues for affirmative diversity.

This article identifies the key issues involved in the debate about affirmative action. The June 2003 Supreme Court decisions allowing consideration of race to ensure that there is a "critical mass" of African American, Latino/Latina, and Native American applicants to higher education are addressed. Social psychologists have identified key myths and provided clarifications about the need for and consequences of strategies used to promote equal opportunity for persons of color and women. A brief history of affirmative action and of the problems it was designed to solve is provided. The accomplishments, benefits, and compelling interest of diversity and affirmative action are described, as well as the concerns and counterpoints. The lack of a substantial applicant pool in psychology hinders progress toward diversity. Alternative strategies for remedying this lack beyond affirmative admissions policies in psychology are briefly discussed.

The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:Sinisa Malesevic: The Sociology of EthnicityStephen May, Tariq Modood and Judith Squires (eds.) Ethnicity, Nationalism and Minority RightsJohn McGarry and Brendan O'Leary The Northern Ireland Conflict: Consociational EngagementsEva Østergaard‐Nielsen Transnational Politics: Turks and Kurds in GermanyMichael Rosie The Sectarian Myth in Scotland: Of Bitter Memory and BigotryTerry H. Anderson The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

The Pursuit of Fairness: A History of Affirmative Action

The pursuit of fairness: a history of affirmative action

Affirmative strikes at the heart of deeply held beliefs about employment and education, about the concepts of justice and fairness, and about the troubled history of race relations in America. Published on the 50th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, this is the only book available that gives readers a balanced, non-polemical, and lucid account of this highly contentious issue. Beginning with the roots of action, Anderson describes African-American demands for employment in the defense industry - spearheaded by A. Philip Randolph's threatened March on Washington in July 1941 - and the desegregation of the armed forces after World War II. He investigates President Kennedy's historic 1961 executive order that introduced the term affirmative action during the early years of the civil rights movement and he examines President Johnson's attempts to gain equal opportunities for African Americans. He describes President Nixon's expansion of with the Philadelphia Plan - which the Supreme Court upheld - along with President Carter's introduction of set asides for minority businesses and the Bakke ruling which allowed the use of race as one factor in college admissions. By the early 1980s many citizens were becoming alarmed by action, and that feeling was exemplified by the Reagan administration's backlash, which resulted in the demise and revision of during the Clinton years. He concludes with a look at the University of Michigan cases of 2003, the current status of the policy, and its impact. Throughout, the author weighs each side of every issue - often finding merit in both arguments - resulting in an eminently fair account of one of America's most heated debates. A colorful history that brings to life the politicians, legal minds, and ordinary people who have fought for or against action, The Pursuit of Fairness helps clear the air and calm the emotions, as it illuminates a difficult and critically important issue.

Affirmative Action in Medicine (Improving Health Care for Everyone) (review)

Reviewed by: Affirmative Action in Medicine (Improving Health Care for Everyone) A. Cherrie Epps (bio) Affirmative Action in Medicine (Improving Health Care for Everyone). by J. Curtis, M.D. , New York, NY: The University of Michigan Press, 2003, 216 pp. (hardcover) This richly detailed report on one of the most significant topics in medicine of our time, affirmative action in medical education, provides a timely perspective on 30 years of attempts to remedy discriminatory practices and implications of minority access to medical education, practice, and health care delivery. Dr. Curtis, an extraordinary writer, reflects on his personal experiences during desegregation and its transformation of medicine. The result is brilliantly written and comprehensively documented. The triumphs and disappointments of this hidden corner of race relations tells us a great deal about our nation's racial sickness. The book follows the progress of approximately 2,000 minority students admitted to U.S. medical schools in 1969 and through graduation, specialty choices, and careers, and provides comparisons between them and their nonminority peers. The report is divided into three parts. Part one discusses the purpose and history of affirmative action in U.S. medical schools and the history of civil rights in health care; part two presents comprehensive data on minority and nonminority medical students who graduated between 1973 and 1977; part three follows the cohort 30 years later (in 1994 and 1995). In the final chapter, the author offers his personal opinions on the future of affirmative action in medical education. This book admirably, eloquently, and accurately reviews the salient features of affirmation action in medical education in the United States. It provides assessments of affirmative action programs and is both readable and thorough. It is likely to interest an audience of health care providers, professionals, educators, and leaders of both the public and private philanthropic sectors addressing the mandate for quality health care for all. A. Cherrie Epps A. Cherrie Epps, PhD, is a Senior Advisor to the President for Academic Affairs and Dean, Emeritus of the School of Medicine at Meharry Medical College. Copyright © 2004 Meharry Medical College

Reviews of Books:A History of Affirmative Action: 1619-2000 Philip F. Rubio; Big Government and Affirmative Action: The Scandalous History of the Small Business Administration Jonathan J. Bean

Reviews of Books:A History of Affirmative Action: 1619-2000 Philip F. Rubio; Big Government and Affirmative Action: The Scandalous History of the Small Business Administration Jonathan J. Bean

Constitutional Theory Building in the Context of the Fourteenth Amendment: The History of Affirmative Action

Constitutional Theory Building in the Context of the Fourteenth Amendment: The History of Affirmative Action

The Contextualization of Affirmative Action

One purpose of this article is to chronicle the progression of affirmative action. A second purpose is to show how affirmative action has benefited all of society and not just a select few. The authors of this article move from a critique of the history of affirmative action to an assessment of the current political climate. It is argued that a rollback of affirmative action practices will have long-term effects on the educational and job opportunities available to women and minorities, but more important, a rollback will seriously alter the playing field and call into question the notion that “all men are created equal.”