Doctoral Dissertation Research: From Fair Employment to Equal Opportunity and Beyond: Race, Liberalism, and the Politics of the New Deal Order, 1941-1971

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AbstractSES 0000244PI: Jerome Karabel, Anthony S Chen This dissertation research traces the initiation and growth of state and national policies of non-discrimination in employment in the period 1941-71. The project uses historical records, and builds on existing theory in political sociology, especially the tradition that traces social change through institutions. The first part of the research plan is to relate institutional and legal arrangements in 29 states that passed non-discrimination laws between 1945 and 1964. Several hypotheses related to conflicting interest groups (civil rights associations, trade unions, religious and ethnic organizations) will be tested using event history analysis. The second part is a detailed historical study of three large states (California, Illinois, and New York), with an emphasis on explaining the timing of passage of non-discrimination policies. The third part of the study considers how non-discrimination transformed to affirmative action in the years after passage of the 1964 Civil Rights and the 1965 Voting Rights Acts. Here the focus is primarily on influences of civil rights groups, and their differing legislative, judicial, and administrative agendas. The research adds to understanding of political change and social structure by permitting assessment of a variety of hypotheses regarding significant influences. Because of the natural variation across states in many of the variables to be studied, it will be possible to compare alternative proposed mechanisms of the changes.