The following are excerpts from "The Report of the President's Task Force on Rural Development," which was released in March. Appointed by President Nixon in September 1969, the Task Force was asked "to review the effectiveness of present rural assistance programs, and make recommendations as to what might be done in the private and…

Examines the demographic impact, underlying socioeconomic forces, and the legal framework of British West Indian migration to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Observes that West Indian assimilation has only been partial, as evidenced by West Indians' insecure legal status, persistent wage and job discrimination, limited social acceptance, and political…

Calls for redefinition of the "Black middle class," based on (1) measurement of Blacks and Whites by uniform criteria, and (2) consideration of a group's relationship to the means of production. Stresses the need for research on the role of structural factors in the development of racial and class consciousness. (Author/GC)

The underdevelopment of Blacks in the United States is due primarily to the lack of equal educational opportunities and to the denial of opportunity for on-the-job experience and training. If it is true that most capital formation must come from the savings of the developing group, the Black economy is likely to remain poor. (Author/RLV)

Argues that "those blacks with college degrees not only are more employable but they are also more employed." Cites evidence that the higher the level of education, the greater the gain in income, that incomes increase most for those with the most education, and that blacks do best financially when they are highly educated. (Author/JM)

A prominent Catholic educator says American academics discriminate against white ethnics, labeling them culturally inferior and socially deficient. The comments are based on research done by the Center for the Study of American Pluralism on a national sample of 18,000 cases. (LBH)

Examines the relationship between education and economic, political, and social status for empowering women in Asia. Using macro statistics from each country, no positive linear relationship is revealed. Further examined are factors that surface in each area, including gender relations within the family, that constrain the role of education as an…

Argues that, as a matter of social ethics, the government should undertake policies to mitigate the economic marginality of those languishing in the ghettos of America and that affirmative-action policies are necessary and justified. Presents a new model for affirmative action and explores various moral and political considerations. (GR)

Examines what the term "information society" really means and investigates how it is related to national computer plans (NCPs). Analysis of several NCPs indicates that nations are more concerned with a general need to bolster and improve their national economies than in encouraging social transformation. (JKP)

Addresses the uncertain economic future facing American families. Specific issues examined include: (1) the weakening economy's impact on low- to middle-wage families; (2) federal income tax rebate checks; (3) shrinking federal budget surplus and shifting of funding from child care for younger children to care for older children; and (4) ways to…

Crime went down throughout the U.S. in the 1990s. Potential explanations include demographic shifts, improved economic opportunities, changes in drug markets, evolving police strategies, and an increasing prison population. Previous attempts to parcel out responsibility among these explanations are unpersuasive. Some do not consider all of the…

In today's economy, access to postsecondary education or training has become the threshold requirement for individual career success. The increasing economic value of postsecondary education is good news in a society that strives to make economic opportunity subservient to individual merit, rather than family background. At the same time, the…

The South is arguably the most generous region of a generous nation. Southerners give to their universities and schools, to their soup kitchens and homeless shelters, to the community United Way, to relief agencies responding to natural disasters, and most specially to their churches and other religious institutions. As a whole, Southerners give…

In the context of areas that have little prospect in the medium term of providing even minimal livelihoods locally for their overwhelming poor and increasingly migration-dependent rural populations, what does education for sustainable development (ESD) mean? Do efforts to qualitatively improve migration offer a viable strategy for reducing poverty…