America's Demographic Tapestry
America's Demographic Tapestry

Author: James W. Hughes

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780813526478

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Beneath the surface of public-policy concerns that seem temporary are powerful evolutionary forces with long-term effects. One of the most important of these is the profound demographic change taking place in America-change which has extraordinary social and economic consequences, and far-reaching public-policy implications for the future of the nation. James W. Hughes and Joseph J. Seneca have assembled experts on demography, immigration, policy, and family life to explain and document both changes and prospects for changes. Contributors profile the contours of demographic change in America and identify select public-policy challenges arising from this change. They cover a wide range of demographic shifts-"baby booms" and "baby busts," rising immigration, increasing ethnic and racial diversity, the proliferation of different household configurations, economic upward mobility that stems from the information-age rather than the industrial economy, and suburban and sunbelt gains.

Tapestry
Tapestry

Author: Jerry Carrier

Publisher: Algora Publishing

Published: 2014-08-01

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 1628940484

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American culture is a rich and complex tapestry of colorful threads from at least five continents, and in recent decades increased immigration has meant that the pace of change is accelerating. It's time for us to get to know ourselves and really appreciate this rich, vast, and rapidly expanding culture. This book explores the contributions of Hispanic, Black, Native American, Oriental, Jewish and other cultures to a nation where many people still focus on the influences of Christian, capitalist, and ethnically European (particularly British) heritage. Written for a general audience, 'Tapestry' explores the myths of American culture and reveals surprising cultural roots including the fact that American democracy and representative government were inspired more by Native American ways than by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Capitalism has become an unchallenged idea, a cultural universal, and so dogmatic that coupled with Christianity it has become America's dominant religion. However, capitalism is a 19th-century concept created for the bygone industrial era. Now the system is showing decay. Unfortunately, America is an ethnocentric country whose jingoistic belief in its own exceptionalism may prevent needed change. American culture has been both inclusive and intolerant. Today it stands at a crossroad and must decide what road to take. Are we to enter a renaissance or a dark age?

Demography, Politics, and Partisan Polarization in the United States, 1828–2016
Demography, Politics, and Partisan Polarization in the United States, 1828–2016

Author: David Darmofal

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-01-21

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 3030040011

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This book examines the geography of partisan polarization, or the Reds and Blues, of the political landscape in the United States. It places the current schism between Democrats and Republicans within a historical context and presents a theoretical framework that offers unique insights into the American electorate. The authors focus on the demographic and political causes of polarization at the local level across space and time. This is accomplished with the aid of a comprehensive dataset that includes the presidential election results for every county in the continental United States, from the advent of Jacksonian democracy in 1828 to the 2016 election. In addition, coverage applies spatial diagnostics, spatial lag models and spatial error models to determine why contemporary and historical elections in the United States have exhibited their familiar, but heretofore unexplained, political geography. Both popular observers and scholars alike have expressed concern that citizens are becoming increasingly polarized and, as a consequence, that democratic governance is beginning to break down. This book argues that once current levels of polarization are placed within a historical context, the future does not look quite so bleak. Overall, readers will discover that partisan division is a dynamic process in large part due to the complex interplay between changing demographics and changing politics.

American Tapestry
American Tapestry

Author: Rachel L. Swarns

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2012-06-19

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 0062204653

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A remarkable history of First Lady Michelle Obama’s mixed ancestry, American Tapestry by Rachel L. Swarns is nothing less than a breathtaking and expansive portrait of America itself. In this extraordinary feat of genealogical research—in the tradition of The Hemmingses of Monticello and Slaves in the Family—author Swarns, a respected Washington-based reporter for the New York Times, tells the fascinating and hitherto untold story of Ms. Obama’s black, white, and multiracial ancestors; a history that the First Lady herself did not know. At once epic, provocative, and inspiring, American Tapestry is more than a true family saga; it is an illuminating mirror in which we may all see ourselves.

Recapturing Space: New Middle-Range Theory in Spatial Demography
Recapturing Space: New Middle-Range Theory in Spatial Demography

Author: Frank M. Howell

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2015-11-04

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 3319228102

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With a unique focus on middle-range theory, this book details the application of spatial analysis to demographic research as a way of integrating and better understanding the different transitional components of the overall demographic transition. This book first details key concepts and measures in modern spatial demography and shows how they can be applied to middle-range theory to better understand people, places, communities and relationships throughout the world. Next, it shows middle-range theory in practice, from using spatial data as a proxy for social science statistics to examining the effect of "fracking” in Pennsylvania on the formation of new coalitions among environmental advocacy organizations. The book also traces future developments and offers some potential solutions to promoting and facilitating instruction in spatial demography. This volume is an ideal resource for advanced undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in courses involving spatial analyses in the social sciences, from sociology and political science to economics and educational research. In addition, scholars and others interested in the role that geographic context plays in relation to their research will find this book a helpful guide in further developing their work.

Population Trends in New Jersey
Population Trends in New Jersey

Author: James W. Hughes

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2022-01-14

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 0813588324

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To fully understand New Jersey in the 2020s and beyond, it is crucial to understand its ever-changing population. This book examines the twenty-first century demographic trends that are reshaping the state now and will continue to do so in the future. But trend analysis requires a deep historical context. Present-day New Jersey is the result of a long demographic and economic journey that has taken place over centuries, constantly influenced by national and global forces. This book provides a detailed examination of this journey. The result is present-day New Jersey. The authors also highlight key trends that will continue to transform the state: domestic migration out of the state and immigration into it; increasing diversity; slower overall population growth; contracting fertility; the household revolution and changing living arrangements; generational disruptions; and suburbanization versus re-urbanization. All of these factors help place in context the result of the 2020 decennial U.S. Census. While the book focuses on New Jersey, the Garden State is a template of demographic, economic, social, and other forces characterizing the United States in the twenty-first century.

Diversity in Human Interactions
Diversity in Human Interactions

Author: John D. Robinson

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2003-08-14

Total Pages: 240

ISBN-13: 0190286792

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When people who interact do not share the same abilities, orientations, or beliefs, the results are often disastrous, leaving everyone involved feeling misunderstood, underappreciated, and resentful. Why does this happen? How can we find and focus on the strengths in our differences, rather than the weaknesses? How can we accept that our differences bring with them different ways of looking at a problem, and that these different ways of looking at things lead to unique, and sometimes conflicting, solutions to problems? In this volume, editors John D. Robinson and Larry C. James have assembled renowned leaders, scholars, and educators in order to show how these differences can facilitate, not hinder, our progress. They provide thought-provoking and insightful essays about how having different physical abilities, sexual orientations, races, and religions affects how people interact. Each chapter is written by a member of a different group and presents real-life stories about interactions within that group. The universality of these stories allows the reader to empathize with diverse points of view, generating material for group discussion and debate. The book's aim is to enrich interactions among different types of people by exploring how our differences can shape our perceptions of events in particular and life in general by focusing on the strengths in our diversity, rather than the conflicts brought about by it.

American Urban Politics in a Global Age
American Urban Politics in a Global Age

Author: Paul Kantor

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-10-05

Total Pages: 413

ISBN-13: 1317350367

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Bringing together a selection of readings that represent some of the most important trends and topics in urban scholarship today, American Urban Politics provides historical context and contemporary commentaries on the economy, politics, culture and identity of American cities. This seventh edition examines the ability of highly autonomous local governments to grapple with the serious challenges of recent years, challenges such as the stresses of the lingering economic crisis, and a series of recent natural disasters. Features: Each chapter is introduced by an editor's essay that places the readings into context and highlights their central ideas and findings. Division into three historical periods emphasizes both the changes and continuities in American urban politics over time. The reader is the perfect complement for Judd & Swanstrom's City Politics: The Political Economy of Urban American, 7/e, also available in a new edition (ISBN 0-205-03246-X)