The Hispanic population represents the largest minority group in Texas. According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, 4.3 million Hispanics resided in Texas in 1990, a population that is larger than the entire population of the state of Louisiana. Over the last several decades, it has become increasingly obvious that the social, economic, demographic, and political future of the State largely is tied to the Hispanic population. Indeed, during the 1980s approximately half of the growth in the Texas population was due to growth in the Hispanic population. In 1990, one in four Texans was Hispanic, although population projections suggest that by 2030 Hispanics could account for between 36 percent and 45 percent of Texas inhabitants.
However, the Hispanic population traditionally has been the poorest ethnic group in Texas, disproportionately located along the Texas-Mexican border, one of the poorest areas in the Nation. Approximately 30 percent of Hispanic families in Texas had incomes below the poverty level in 1990. In addition, the Hispanic population has the dubious distinction of being the least educated ethnic group in the country. In Texas, only 45 percent of Hispanics 25 and older are high-school graduates and only 7.3 percent (roughly one in 14) hold a college diploma. Unfortunately, current trends indicate that the younger generations of Hispanics, and Mexican Americans in particular, are likely to lag behind educationally because this group has the highest dropout rates in the nation. These statistics illustrate the Hispanic population's severe socioeconomic problems, which if left unattended will affect the State's competitiveness in the coming decades, when Hispanics increasingly will be called upon to provide the economic resource base to support an increasingly aging population. Efforts need to be made to develop the educational and human capital base of Hispanics and to develop programs and strategies that will allow them to stay in school and enter and graduate from institutions of higher education. The attainment of higher education among young Hispanics will result in future social and economic benefits to the Hispanic community and society at large.
Development of the Hispanic Research Program
In efforts to begin addressing the special educational, human capital, and socioeconomic concerns of the Texas Hispanic population, the Hispanic Research Program (HRP) was developed to conduct research to provide decision makers with crucial information to better prepare Hispanics for the challenges that await them in the coming decades. The HRP is housed in the Department of Rural Sociology (College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Texas Agricultural Extension Service) at Texas A&M University. The Director of HRP is Cruz Torres (Professor of Rural Sociology), a native of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, who holds a Ph.D. in sociology from Texas A&M University.
The HRP serves as a structure for conducting research intended to strengthen the educational, human capital, and socioeconomic resources of the Texas Hispanic population, with special attention to the distinct aspects of rural and urban Hispanics. HRP has the following four objectives:
- 1. to conduct ongoing, objective, empirically-based research on the Hispanic population for the purpose of helping communities improve the educational, human capital, and socioeconomic resources of this group.
- 2. to disseminate research findings to decision makers and policy makers at the local, state, and national levels for the purpose of informing them about issues affecting the Hispanic population.
- 3. to train undergraduate and graduate students in conducting applied and basic social science research in Hispanic communities.
- 4. to serve as a structure for collaborative research activities among
social scientists with research interests in the Hispanic population.
HRP draws on the established record of expertise in the Department of Rural Sociology and other parts of Texas A&M University.
HRP Research Programs
The HRP is engaged in several programs of study including educational and human capital development, economic development, policy analysis, labor markets, poverty, family, and health and environment. Each of the programs seeks to conduct research that has both a basic and an applied focus. The following provides an illustration of specific research activities that will be pursued in each program of study.
- 1. Educational and Human Capital Development
Description: Empirical analyses of the crucial links between educational and human capital attainment and socioeconomic status, factors contributing to high school and college completion, the costs and benefits of "brain drain" outmigration of Hispanics on local communities, and related studies focusing on improving the educational standing of Hispanics.
- 2. Economic Development
Description: Empirical analyses of the establishment of business enterprises in rural Hispanic communities, the impact of these enterprises on local economies, and the socioeconomic and demographics factors associated with the establishment and success of business enterprises.
- 3. Policy Analysis
Description: Empirical analysis of the impact of various policies on Hispanics. Contemporary policies which fall under this type of research include the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the equalization of funding for education, and the various public assistance, health, and immigration proposals under debate.
- 4. Poverty
Description: Empirical analyses concerning trends in poverty among Hispanics, the identification of factors contributing to poverty, the identification of the social and economic needs of the poor, as well as special analyses devoted to children, women, and the working poor.
- 5. Labor Markets
Description: Empirical analyses of labor-market performance of Hispanic workers, the impact of changing labor markets on the employment and income patterns of Hispanic workers, and special analyses devoted to young adult, women, and immigrant workers.
- 6. Family
Description: Empirical analyses of trends in the changing nature of the family and households, factors related to the stability and well-being of families, and the impact of socioeconomic and geographic mobility on the care of elderly Hispanics.
- 7. Health and Environment
Description: Empirical analysis of trends in the health and environmental conditions of Hispanics, the identification of factors contributing to favorable health conditions for Hispanics, and research exploring the association between people's environments and their health conditions.
Products of HRP
HRP yields various unique products from its ongoing activities. These include the publication of descriptive reports designed primarily for decision makers and a public audience, the publication of research manuscripts in scholarly outlets, the acquisition of external funds to execute the Program's objectives, and a lecture series designed to bring leading scholars to discuss their research based on the Hispanic population.
Contact Info
For further information, please contact the Hispanic Research Program Coordinator, Cruz Torres, at:
Texas A&M University
College Station, TX 77843-2125
Phone: (979) 845-8522
Fax: (979) 845-8529
E-Mail: ctorres@tamu.edu
Hispanic Research Program Lecture Series
Joining the HRP Newsgroup
To join the HRP Newsgroup, please send an e-mail to the Hispanic Research Program Newsgroup to request to be added to the Newsgroup.