Dowell Myers
Encyclopedia
Dowell Myers is a professor of urban planning and demography in the School of Policy, Planning, and Development, at the University of Southern California
(USC). He directs the school’s Population Dynamics Research Group, whose recent projects have been funded by the National Institute of Health, the Haynes Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, and the Ford Foundation
.
He leads the ongoing California Demographic Futures research project at USC. Recent applications have focused on the upward mobility of immigrants to the US and Southern California
, trajectories into homeownership in the United States
, changing transportation behavior, education and labor force trends, and projections for the future of the California population.
In 2000 he was a member of the Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations (Population Association of America) for the United States Census Bureau
and is the author of Analysis with Local Census Data: Portraits of Change (Academic Press, 1992).
In March 2007, the Russell Sage Foundation
published his newest book, Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America. In that book Myers calls for a new social contract
between the older and younger generations, based on their mutual interests and the moral responsibility of each generation to provide for children and the elderly. Immigrants and Boomers attempts to create a new framework for understanding the demographic challenges facing America and forging a national consensus to address them. Many Americans regard the massive influx of immigrants over the past 30 years with great anxiety, fearing new burdens and unwanted changes to the nation’s ethnic, social, and economic identity. Virtually unnoticed in the contentious national debate over immigration is the even more significant demographic change about to occur as the first wave of the Baby Boom
generation retires, slowly draining the workforce and straining the federal budget to the breaking point. Myers in this book argues that each of these two powerful demographic shifts may hold the keys to resolving the problems presented by the other.
In fall 2006, Dowell Myers was recipient of the Haynes Award for Research Impact that was issued on the occasion of the Haynes Foundation’s 80th anniversary.
His undergraduate degree in anthropology
from Columbia University
was followed by a Master of Planning degree from the University of California, Berkeley
. His Ph.D.
is in urban planning
from MIT and he also studied demography
and sociology
at Harvard University
.
Dowell Myers has recently testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary about the reform of U.S. immigration policy.
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
(USC). He directs the school’s Population Dynamics Research Group, whose recent projects have been funded by the National Institute of Health, the Haynes Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, and the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
.
He leads the ongoing California Demographic Futures research project at USC. Recent applications have focused on the upward mobility of immigrants to the US and Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, trajectories into homeownership in the United States
Homeownership in the United States
The homeownership rate in the United States in 2009 remained similar to that in other post-industrial nations with 67.4% of all occupied housing units being occupied by the unit's owner...
, changing transportation behavior, education and labor force trends, and projections for the future of the California population.
In 2000 he was a member of the Census Advisory Committee of Professional Associations (Population Association of America) for the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
and is the author of Analysis with Local Census Data: Portraits of Change (Academic Press, 1992).
In March 2007, the Russell Sage Foundation
Russell Sage Foundation
The Russell Sage Foundation is the principal American foundation devoted exclusively to research in the social sciences. Founded in 1907 and headquartered in New York City, the foundation is a research center, a funding source for studies by scholars at other institutions, and a key member of the...
published his newest book, Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America. In that book Myers calls for a new social contract
Social contract
The social contract is an intellectual device intended to explain the appropriate relationship between individuals and their governments. Social contract arguments assert that individuals unite into political societies by a process of mutual consent, agreeing to abide by common rules and accept...
between the older and younger generations, based on their mutual interests and the moral responsibility of each generation to provide for children and the elderly. Immigrants and Boomers attempts to create a new framework for understanding the demographic challenges facing America and forging a national consensus to address them. Many Americans regard the massive influx of immigrants over the past 30 years with great anxiety, fearing new burdens and unwanted changes to the nation’s ethnic, social, and economic identity. Virtually unnoticed in the contentious national debate over immigration is the even more significant demographic change about to occur as the first wave of the Baby Boom
Baby boom
A baby boom is any period marked by a greatly increased birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds and when the number of annual births exceeds 2 per 100 women...
generation retires, slowly draining the workforce and straining the federal budget to the breaking point. Myers in this book argues that each of these two powerful demographic shifts may hold the keys to resolving the problems presented by the other.
In fall 2006, Dowell Myers was recipient of the Haynes Award for Research Impact that was issued on the occasion of the Haynes Foundation’s 80th anniversary.
His undergraduate degree in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
was followed by a Master of Planning degree from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. His Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
is in urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
from MIT and he also studied demography
Demography
Demography is the statistical study of human population. It can be a very general science that can be applied to any kind of dynamic human population, that is, one that changes over time or space...
and sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
Dowell Myers has recently testified before the House Committee on the Judiciary about the reform of U.S. immigration policy.
Books
- Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America, New York: Russell Sage Foundation. February 2007.
- Analysis with Local Census Data: Portraits of Change, New York: Academic Press, 1992; 15 chapters and 3 appendices.
- (editor), Housing Demography: Linking Demographic Structure and Housing Markets, Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1990.
External links
- Dowell Myers's Homepage
- The School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California
- Population Dynamics Research Group of the School of Policy, Planning, and Development at the University of Southern California
- California Housing Futures Project
- Where Millions Entered U.S., a Debate on Letting in More, March 31, 2007 New York Times
Reviews and news media coverage
- Miriam Jordan, “Boomers’ Good Life Tied to Better Life for Immigrants,” Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2007
- Jeffrey Rabin, A Q&A column with Dowell Myers, Los Angeles Times, February 27, 2007
- D’Vera Cohn, “The Divergent Paths of Baby Boomers and Immigrants,” Population Reference Bureau, March 2007
- Peter Schrag, “Guess Who Will have to Help with Your Retirement?” Sacramento Bee, Feb. 21, 2007