title: The shifting social and economic tides of black America, 1950-1980.
abstract: "This article examines significant demographic trends that illustrate the advances of many black Americans from 1954 to 1984.  We also examine trends which indicate deterioration in the socioeconomic circumstances and life chances of a significant portion of the black population.  The two competing trends in the status of black Americans (at one extreme an emerging black elite, at the other a growing black underclass) have been central in provocative debates about economics and race over the past decade.  This article locates the debate in historical context, summarizing the work of early theorists on this issue."  The authors use U.S. census data "to document changes from 1950-1980 in occupational distribution, labor force participation, educational attainment, income and earnings, fertility and mortality rates, and family organizational patterns for blacks and whites.  Using the political economy perspective, we argue that race and economic status are inexorably linked in this society.  Shifts in the society's economic base coupled with historical (and contemporary) patterns of racial oppression explain the disproportionate concentration of blacks in the underclass."
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farley
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000569:Americas; D003469:Culture; D003710:Demography; D019049:Developed Countries; D003906:Developing Countries; D004467:Economics; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment; D005006:Ethnicity; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005298:Fertility; D006280:Health Workforce; D007182:Income; D009026:Mortality; D009656:North America; D009790:Occupations; D011057:Politics; D011153:Population; D011154:Population Characteristics; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012923:Social Class; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D044465:White People
keywords: Americas; Blacks; Comparative Studies; Cultural Background; Demographic Factors; Developed Countries; Developing Countries; Economic Conditions; Economic Factors; Educational Status; Ethnic Groups; Family And Household; Fertility; Human Resources; Income; Labor Force; Macroeconomic Factors; Mortality; North America; Northern America; Occupations; Political Factors; Population; Population Characteristics; Population Dynamics; Social Class; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic Status; United States; Whites