APPENDIX 25

THE SPIVACK PROGRAM: POLICY BRIEFINGS,
ISSUE SERIES, AND SPECIAL INITIATIVES

Appendices 25–27 provide detailed information on several components of the Sydney S. Spivack Program in Applied Social Research and Social Policy.

A. Policy Briefings
Policy briefings target key Congressional staff, Administration offi cials, representatives of non-profit associations, and the media.

• Work and Family, December 10, 1992 and February 1, 1993: Two briefi ngs linking work and family research to current issues of family care arrangements, and family and medical leave. Congressional Briefing on Work-Family Linkages on December 10, 1992 featured Phyllis Moen, Cynthia Deitch, Roberta Spalter-Roth, and Judith Auerbach. A media briefing complementing the Congressional Briefing was held on February 1, 1993 at the National Press Club, and featured Carla Howery and Catherine White Berheide as panelists, with Felice J. Levine as moderator.

• Social Dimensions of AIDS, May 3, 1993: An overview of key insights sociology and other social sciences have provided on AIDS prevention and transmission. Panelists were Gary L. Albrecht, Karen J. Peterson, and Edward O. Laumann.

• Revitalizing Public Education—The Relationship Between Resources and Learning, May 12, 1994: With a backdrop of discussion on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, Peter Cookson, Amy Stuart Wells, and Jomills Braddock shared their research on factors limiting or enhancing a world-class education for all U.S. children.

• Highlights of Sexual Behavior Survey, December 12, 1994: Presentation of key findings from the comprehensive study of sexual habits of American adults. Featured Edward O Laumann, John H. Gagnon, and Stuart Michaels. ASA co-sponsored with other organizations.

• The Myth of the Entitlement Crisis, March 9, 1995: A Congressional symposium featuring Jill Quadagno, who challenged the notion that the Social Security System was in need of a total overhaul.

• Basic Science and Transforming the United States Economy, February 22, 1996: Lynne Zucker and Michael Darby informed policy makers at two ASA-sponsored events argued that basic science played a key role in the financial success of the United States biotechnology industry.

• Sociological Perspectives on Promoting Safe Schools, June 11, 1996: Joan Spade, Joan McCord, and Richard J. Gelles summarized research on school climate, social organization of schools, research on youth and delinquency, with policy recommendations on safe schools, for an audience of school administrators and community leaders in the Washington, DC area.

• Welfare to Work—Opportunities and Pitfalls, March 10, 1997: Kathryn Edin, Kathleen Mullan Harris, and Gary Sandefur presented findings on the employment patterns and opportunities of welfare recipients, and addressed the impact of new legislation, focusing on which groups might thrive or suffer difficulties under its provisions.

• Youth Violence—Children at Risk, June 17, 1997: Three sociologists (Delbert Elliott, John Hagan, and Joan McCord) who had researched the demography of youth crime, effective and less effective interventions, youth development trajectories and points of intervention summarized findings about how to curtail the incidence of youth violence, and the use of deadly force.

• Immigrant Families and Children, June 4, 1998: Lisandro Peréz, Richard D. Alba, Douglas S. Massey, and Rubén G. Rumbaut made policy recommendations and suggested necessary changes in social services for immigrants. Their recommendations were based on recent research findings on contemporary patterns of immigration, variations of experience by country of origin, and impact of the immigrant experience on children across generations.

• Hate Crime in America—What Do We Know? October 21, 1999: Abby L. Ferber, Ryken Grattet, and Valerie Jenness presented research on the history of hate crime in America, data on victims and perpetrators of hate-motivated crimes, the social and economic factors associated with hate crimes, and legal responses to hate crime.

• How Neighborhoods Matter—The Value of Investing at the Local Level, September 25, 2000: Robert J. Sampson, Gregory D. Squires, and Min Zhou—experts on community relations, discrimination, and criminology— reported findings on neighborhood characteristics and further community or policy needs.

• Reactions to Terrorism—Attitudes and Anxieties, June 18, 2002: As a part of the multidisciplinary Decade of Behavior initiative, Mansoor Moaddel, Michael Traugott, and Len Lecci presented the divergent world views of Americans and Islamic terrorists.

• Racial and Ethnic Data—Why We Collect it; How We Use It in Public Policy, May 28, 2003: Co-sponsored by the California Institute for Federal Policy Research, the Council of Professional Associations on Federal Statistics, and the Population Resource Center. Hon. Thomas C. Sawyer, Troy Duster, Brian Smedley, and Gerald Sanders explained the value of racial/ethnic data and research for policymaking. The briefing was held to publicize ASA’s official statement on race, and to counter a 2003 California ballot measure that would have prohibited state and local governments from classifying current or prospective students, contractors, or employees by race, ethnicity, color or national origin.

• The Human Dimensions of Disasters—How Social Science Research Can Improve Preparedness, Response, and Recovery, October 27, 2003: Co-sponsored with the Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management at George Washington University. William Anderson, Lee Clarke, John Harrald, Eric Klinenberg, and Kathleen Tierney presented research findings on social factors of disasters.

• A Nation of Immigrants—Current Policy Debates Meet New Social Science Research, April 19, 2004: Douglas S. Massey, Rogelio Saenz, and Victor Nee discussed research on immigrants in America, including immigrant settlement patterns, the social and economic role of immigrant workers, assimilation processes, and policy connections.

B. The Issue Series In Social Research And Social Policy
The Issue Series in Social Research and Social Policy is published by the American Sociological Association to link social science research to social policy. The Series is intended to make accessible to wide audiences the substantive contributions of ASA Congressional seminars, workshops, media briefings, and related events.

The Series presents timely research and draws the connections to current policy discussions and debates. Each volume in the Issue Series includes edited presentations, dialogue and commentary, fact sheets, expert resource lists, and reference materials.

• How Neighborhoods Matter: The Value of Investing at the Local Level, by Robert J. Sampson, Gregory D. Squires, and Min Zhou (2001).

• Hate Crime in America: What Do We Know? by Abby L. Ferber, Ryken Grattet, Valerie Jenness (1999).

• The Immigration Experience for Families and Children, by Richard D. Alba, Douglas S. Massey, and Rubén G. Rumbaut (1998).

• Families, Youth, and Children’s Well Being, by Linda Burton, Donald Hernandez, and Sandra Hofferth (1997).

• Welfare to Work: Opportunities and Pitfalls, by Kathryn Edin, Kathleen Mullan Harris, and Gary Sandefur (1997).

• Youth Violence: Children at Risk, by Delbert Elliott, John Hagan, and Joan McCord (1997).

C. Special Initiatives
ASA seeks to integrate basic research and public policy through educational fora:

• Invitational workshop "Research Challenges on the Social Causes of Violence," June 19–20, 1993: A report based on the workshop outlines a strategic agenda for violence research. This report was timely, as the Clinton Administration gave high profile to the reduction of violence in communities and schools and as the federal government reexamined science policy and R & D investments in violence. Social Causes of Violence: Crafting a Science Agenda by Felice J. Levine and Katherine J. Rosich (1996) was published from workshop proceedings.

• Invitational workshop "Initiative on Genocide and Human Rights," November 13-14, 1993: An initiative to develop strategies for the social science community to identify research and social science knowledge that could be used to respond to and prevent genocide.

• Invitational workshop "Rethinking the Urban Agenda," May 20–24, 1994: A group of urbanists challenged the view that cities are economic dinosaurs, and argued that cities continue to play a central role in metropolitan areas.

• Invitational workshop "Prevention of HIV and Hatred," June 3–5, 1994: An initiative to bring sociological work to bear on HIV/AIDS, community care, and the reduction of hatred.

• Conference on Implementing Recent Federal Legislation on Education, January 8-10, 1995: This conference was co-sponsored with the University of South Florida and the Department of Education Offi ce of Educational Research and Improvement. The commissioned papers and rejoinders form a book published by Ablex.

• Invitational workshop “Social Science Perspectives on Affirmative Action in Employment,” June 27–29, 1996: The workshop assembled research literature on affirmative action policies and practices, organizational responses, conditions under which such initiatives are effective or less effective. The Realities of Affirmative Action in Employment by Barbara F. Reskin (1998) was published from workshop proceedings.

• Invitational workshop on the President’s Initiative on Race, April 26, 1998: The symposium summarized social science research on race and ethnicity, prejudice and discrimination, and racial identity.