Racial Discrimination and Public Policy in the United States. By Richard M. Burkey. (Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Heath & Co., 1971. Pp. 144. $10.00.)

This chapter explores the relationship between hours of work and unemployment. When it comes to time spent working in the United States at present, two problems immediately come to light. First, an asymmetrical distribution of working time persists, with some people overworked and others underemployed. Second, hours are increasingly unstable; precarious on-call work scheduling and gig economy–style employment relationships are the canaries in the coal mine of a labor market that produces fewer and fewer stable jobs. It is possible that some kind of shorter hours movement, especially one that places an emphasis on young workers, has the potential to address these problems. Some policies and processes are already in place to transition into a shorter hours economy right now even if those possibilities are mediated by an anti-worker political administration.

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Introduction

10.1093/oso/9780190860554.003.0001 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Andrew Valls

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Policy ◽

Social Construction ◽

Political Theory ◽

Racial Inequality ◽

The United States ◽

Racial Justice ◽

Color Blind ◽

American Society ◽

Liberal Political Theory

The persistence of racial inequality in the United States raises deep and complex questions of racial justice. Some observers argue that public policy must be “color-blind,” while others argue that policies that take race into account should be defended on grounds of diversity or integration. This chapter begins to sketch an alternative to both of these, one that supports strong efforts to address racial inequality but that focuses on the conditions necessary for the liberty and equality of all. It argues that while race is a social construction, it remains deeply embedded in American society. A conception of racial justice is needed, one that is grounded on the premises provided by liberal political theory.

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The Insidious Momentum of American Mass Incarceration

10.1093/oso/9780197513170.001.0001 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Franklin E. Zimring

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Policy ◽

Twentieth Century ◽

Mass Incarceration ◽

The United States ◽

Next Generation ◽

Single Generation ◽

American Life ◽

Peak Rate ◽

Or Practice

The phenomenal growth of penal confinement in the United States in the last quarter of the twentieth century is still a public policy mystery. Why did it happen when it happened? What explains the unprecedented magnitude of prison and jail expansion? Why are the current levels of penal confinement so very close to the all-time peak rate reached in 2007? What is the likely course of levels of penal confinement in the next generation of American life? Are there changes in government or policy that can avoid the prospect of mass incarceration as a chronic element of governance in the United States? This study is organized around four major concerns: What happened in the 33 years after 1973? Why did these extraordinary changes happen in that single generation? What is likely to happen to levels of penal confinement in the next three decades? What changes in law or practice might reduce this likely penal future?

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The Implications of Political Trust for Supporting Public Transport

Journal of Social Policy ◽

10.1017/s0047279420000707 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-19

Author(s):

JAE YOUNG LIM ◽

KUK-KYOUNG MOON

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Policy ◽

Public Transport ◽

Social Equity ◽

Political Trust ◽

The United States ◽

Negatively Associated ◽

Social Surveys ◽

Pooled Data ◽

Policy Attitudes

Abstract Despite the importance of public transport for urban vitality, social equity, and mobility, the discussions surrounding these topics have become heated ideological battles between liberals and conservatives in the United States, as in other countries. Conservatives, in particular, have exhibited anti-transit attitudes that have worked against the development of public transport. Scholars note that political trust functions as a heuristic and its impact is felt more strongly among individuals who face ideological risks with respect to a given public policy. Based on several studies noting the relationships between political trust, ideology and policy attitudes, the study employs the pooled data of the 2010 and 2014 General Social Surveys. It finds that conservatives are negatively associated with supporting spending on public transport, but when contingent upon high levels of political trust, they become more supportive of it. The study discusses the potential of political trust as a mechanism to influence public policy discourses as well as certain methodological and substantive limitations.

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Understanding and Promoting Racial Diversity in Healthcare Settings to Address Disparities in Pandemic Crisis Management

Journal of Primary Care & Community Health ◽

10.1177/21501327211018354 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 215013272110183

Author(s):

Azza Sarfraz ◽

Zouina Sarfraz ◽

Alanna Barrios ◽

Kuchalambal Agadi ◽

Sindhu Thevuthasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Health Disparities ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Clinical Training ◽

Minority Groups ◽

Mental Health Problems ◽

Minority Group ◽

Healthcare Delivery ◽

The United States ◽

Majority Group

Background: Health disparities have become apparent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. When observing racial discrimination in healthcare, self-reported incidences, and perceptions among minority groups in the United States suggest that, the most socioeconomically underrepresented groups will suffer disproportionately in COVID-19 due to synergistic mechanisms. This study reports racially-stratified data regarding the experiences and impacts of different groups availing the healthcare system to identify disparities in outcomes of minority and majority groups in the United States. Methods: Studies were identified utilizing PubMed, Embase, CINAHL Plus, and PsycINFO search engines without date and language restrictions. The following keywords were used: Healthcare, raci*, ethnic*, discriminant, hosti*, harass*, insur*, education, income, psychiat*, COVID-19, incidence, mortality, mechanical ventilation. Statistical analysis was conducted in Review Manager (RevMan V.5.4). Unadjusted Odds Ratios, P-values, and 95% confidence intervals were presented. Results: Discrimination in the United States is evident among racial groups regarding medical care portraying mental risk behaviors as having serious outcomes in the health of minority groups. The perceived health inequity had a low association to the majority group as compared to the minority group (OR = 0.41; 95% CI = 0.22 to 0.78; P = .007), and the association of mental health problems to the Caucasian-American majority group was low (OR = 0.51; 95% CI = 0.45 to 0.58; P < .001). Conclusion: As the pandemic continues into its next stage, efforts should be taken to address the gaps in clinical training and education, and medical practice to avoid the recurring patterns of racial health disparities that become especially prominent in community health emergencies. A standardized tool to assess racial discrimination and inequity will potentially improve pandemic healthcare delivery.

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Roe v. Wade Is Constitutionally Unprincipled and Logically Incoherent: A Brief in Support of Judicial Restraint

American Journal of Law & Medicine ◽

10.1017/s0098858800012211 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 15 (2-3) ◽

pp. 222-226

Author(s):

Jules B. Gerard

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Public Policy ◽

The United States ◽

Judicial Activism ◽

Federal Judiciary ◽

Judicial Studies ◽

Roe V Wade

The Center for Judicial Studies is the only educational and public policy organization in the United States that focuses exclusively on the problem of judicial activism. It seeks to confine the power of the federal judiciary to the bounds envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution. The Center's brief was signed by fifty-six members of Congress who were concerned that Roe v. Wade “has expanded federal judicial powers into areas that are within the rightful legislative domain of Congress and the states.”

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Stand against anti-Asian racial discrimination during COVID-19: A call for action

International Social Work ◽

10.1177/0020872820970610 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 002087282097061

Author(s):

Qin Gao ◽

Xiaofang Liu

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Social Media ◽

Racial Discrimination ◽

Asian Americans ◽

Well Being ◽

Political Rhetoric ◽

The United States ◽

Psychological Well Being ◽

Negative Impacts

Racial discrimination against people of Chinese and other Asian ethnicities has risen sharply in number and severity globally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This rise has been especially rapid and severe in the United States, fueled by xenophobic political rhetoric and racist language on social media. It has endangered the lives of many Asian Americans and is likely to have long-term negative impacts on the economic, social, physical, and psychological well-being of Asian Americans. This essay reviews the prevalence and consequences of anti-Asian racial discrimination during COVID-19 and calls for actions in practice, policy, and research to stand against it.

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