October 29, 2009
The Los Angeles Times cited research by the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC which stressed the importance of getting students out from under the designation of "English-language learner" before they enter high school, when the chances of dropping out increase. "The United States has never learned what is the best way to teach English to English learners," said SPPD Professor Harry Pachon, president of the institute. "That's really a shortcoming." The research was also featured by National Public Radio's "All Things Considered," the Associated Press, the Los Angeles Daily News, and La Opinion.
August 24, 2009
The Santa Fe New Mexican quoted Professor Harry Pachon about a new report showing an increasing number of minority voters in the United States. The changing electorate reflects the current America, Pachon said. "These numbers show that the U.S. has become a multicultural nation," he added. "Before, minority issues were black and white. Now they're multi-ethnic." Pachon is president of the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, the story noted.
June 23, 2009
The Sacramento Bee featured a study on California demographics by SPPD's Population Dynamics Research Group. The researchers found declining in-migration, high birth rates and a strong inclination of those born in the state to remain here -- factors which mean that the state will have to look inward for workers rather than relying on immigrants from elsewhere. "California is undergoing profound change from a land of migrants to one with a much more settled population," the researchers reported. "A majority of young adults, and soon the middle-aged, are native Californians whose entire lives have been shaped in the state."
June 8, 2009
The Sacramento Bee cited Professor Dowell Myers about illegal immigrants in the United States. A 2004 study released by the Federation for American Immigration Reform said that illegal immigrants cost California $9 billion annually. Myers has disputed that number and countered that it is difficult to quantify illegal immigrants' full economic impact, the story stated.
May 16, 2009
The San Antonio Express-News cited Professor Dowell Myers about demographics and the future of Social Security. The ratio of retired persons to workers will "compound to a 67 percent growth over the 20-year period," Myers said. "The implications for mass retirements and the struggle for replacements in the work force are profound as well," Myers wrote in his book Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future.
May 16, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Dowell Myers about slowing immigration to outlying areas of Los Angeles. The change is a "temporary pause," and immigration will probably rise again as the economy recovers, Myers said. "Immigrants always respond to the economy," he explained. "The boom and bust cycle is totally normal."
May 11, 2009
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Dowell Myers about the increase in California's naturalized Asian and Latino population. The surge in new citizens will accelerate by several years the California electorate's shift from majority-white to nonwhite, Myers said. Although that shift won't be completed until 2026, Latinos, Asians and African Americans are already joining with progressive whites to elect ethnically diverse candidates, he noted.
May 6, 2009
The image of California as a land of migrants is being shattered by demographic data indicating the emergence of a newer generation of Californians that is homegrown and willing to stay in the state, according to a new study by USC researchers. The study found that today's teens and young adults will be the first generation in California history whose majority will be California-born when they assume positions of leadership in middle age.
February 27, 2009
During a recent discussion held at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.) shared personal lessons and political insights from her book, Dream in Color: How the Sanchez Sisters Are Making History in Congress (Grand Central Publishing, 2008).
February 20, 2009
The San Diego Union-Tribune quoted Dowell Myers about how shrinking family sizes in Mexico could decrease immigration into the United States. American authorities are building a 670-mile fence along the border to stop more from coming, but some say such a measure is overkill, the story stated. "It's like building a dike for a flood that might not be there," Myers said. This story was carried widely.
January 26, 2009
The USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development marked its 80th anniversary by hosting a special colloquium Jan. 16 at the Davidson Conference Center. During the conference, Dean Jack H. Knott noted that SPPD remains dedicated to advancing academic theory and making a vital impact in the world.
December 9, 2008
USA Today quoted Professor Dowell Myers about the increase in the number of Hispanics fluent in English. Homeownership and naturalization are more important gauges of assimilation than English fluency, but language is the most visible, Myers said. "What affects people the most is the language around them," he explained. "It's the most symbolic ... a real flashpoint."
December 9, 2008
The Los Angeles Times quoted Professor Dowell Myers about census data showing growing diversity in Southern California's suburbs. The trend reflects a broad breakdown of past housing discrimination, Myers said. "Ethnic groups of all types are integrating into suburban neighborhoods. It's the new normal," he explained. "It's not about color and ethnicity in California anymore. It's about economic upward mobility."
November 20, 2008
The Asian Pacific Islander Caucus, a new student organization at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, hosted its inaugural event -- a panel discussion at Lewis Hall addressing key issues currently facing the Asian American community.
October 1, 2008
Professor Harry Pachon was quoted in the Los Angeles Times about the new citizenship test being phased in by U.S. immigration authorities. Some fear that the new format, which emphasizes concepts rather than facts, could result in examiners denying citizenship based on whims or prejudices, the story stated. For that reason, the new test is a "step backward," Pachon said. "There's latitude in answering the questions and that's where the problem lies," he explained. "There's potential for abuse and not knowing what to prepare for." Pachon is president of the Tomas River Policy Institute.
September 23, 2008
SPPD Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in Forbes about immigrant settlement patterns within the United States. New immigrants try to find a large community of immigrants with similar backgrounds, the story stated. "When people move to a new place, they want to be around those that they know," Myers said.
August 27, 2008
Professor Dowell Myers was highlighted in a Los Angeles Times story about demographic changes in Southern California. "The population is getting older, and older people have higher incomes," Myers said. Also, immigration rates are continuing to decline, and it is the most recent newcomers who tend to have the highest poverty rates, he said. "We have an immigrant population that is settling in, and that is raising their incomes," Myers explained.
August 5, 2008
SPPD Professor Dowell Myers was quoted in a New York Times story about demographic changes that may favor Democrats. A younger, native-born Latino generation that has a tendency to support Democrats is coming of age, Myers said.
July 17, 2008
Harry Pachon was quoted in a San Diego Union-Tribune story about the Latino vote in the November presidential election. "I think there's no doubt that the Latino vote is going to go Democratic," Pachon said. "The real question is how Democratic," he added. "Obama cannot be satisfied with just getting a majority. He's got to get a big majority because the incremental vote for McCain could make a difference." Pachon is president of USC's Tomas Rivera Policy Institute, the story noted.
July 3, 2008
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story about backlash faced by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom over several young illegal immigrant drug dealers who escaped from an unguarded Inland Empire facility, to which they had been escorted by the city. If Newsom won the Democratic nomination for California governor in 2010, Inland California voters would be critical in the general election, said Jeffe, senior fellow at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development.
June 29, 2008
Dowell Myers was quoted the USA Today about baby boomers and Latino immigrants. For a nation bracing to support 79 million baby boomers in their old age, the growing and younger population of Latinos should be viewed as economic salvation, Myers said. "Children are always a fiscal burden, yet children are also the lifeblood of every community," he explained. "What's killing Japan and threatening the economic future of Europe is that they don't have enough kids, and that's what's depriving these rural areas in America," he added. Myers is the author of Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America, the story noted.
June 26, 2008
The Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at USC was cited in a column in the Wall Street Journal. At least 9.3 million Latino voters will go to the polls in November, an increase of 23 percent over 2004, according to institute
May 15, 2008
Prof. Dowell Myers was quoted in U.S. News and World Report about variations among immigrant populations. "Asians show up with a lot more money, oftentimes," Myers said. "They have a higher education to begin with, and many of them are entrepreneurs." The Asian experience recalls a general rule of today's immigrants: The farther you have to migrate, the wealthier you probably were in your country of origin, the story stated. "Poor people can't afford a plane trip across the ocean, but poor people can walk across the border," Myers explained. "Poor Africans and poor Chinese can't do it."
May 15, 2008
Prof. Dowell Myers was quoted in an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal about immigration policy. Public discourse on the subject can be colored by what Myers calls the "Peter Pan Fallacy," the story stated. "Many of us assume, unwittingly, that immigrants are like Peter Pan, forever frozen in their status as newcomers, never aging, never advancing economically, and never assimilating," Myers said. In this naive view, "the mounting numbers of foreign-born residents imply that our nation is becoming dominated by growing numbers of people who perpetually resemble newcomers," he said.
May 13, 2008
Prof. Dowell Myers was quoted in USA Today about an index aimed at measuring immigrant assimilation. An index is a futile effort, because different characteristics change at different rates, Myers said. Some changes happen in a few years, while others take a lifetime or even several generations, he said.
May 1, 2008
Professor Dowell Myers was cited in a Wall Street Journal story on Hispanic demographics in the United States. As Americans age and the baby boom generation retires, Latinos may help buttress the economy and the Social Security system, the article stated. The ratio of senior citizens to working-age people age 25 to 64 will grow to 411 seniors per 1,000 working-age people in 2030, from 250 per 1,000 in 2010, according to Myers.
April 21, 2008
Prof. Dowell Myers was quoted in a Los Angeles Times story about immigration policy. This week, a USC conference will bring together former federal housing secretary Henry Cisneros and other community leaders to explore ways to help immigrants better integrate into career-oriented jobs and civic life, the story reported. "It's in the self-interest of the older generation to have immigrants here," Myers said. "Even if you don't like it, you have to ask the question: Who's going to fill your jobs, buy your homes and pay the taxes for old-age support programs?" he asked. Myers is the author of the book Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America, the story noted.
March 9, 2008
A recent San Francisco Chronicle story featured research, led by Prof. Dowell Myers, regarding the potential impact of baby boomers on the housing market. Myers and USC doctoral student Sung Ryu co-authored a study warning of a "generational housing bubble" that could burst as baby boomers - who have held up housing prices since 1970 - begin to retire. "The Baby Boom generation was born over a period of 18 years, and once its sell-off commences, it could dominate the housing market for up to two decades," the researchers wrote.
