Affiliations: [a] 601 West 113th Street, #12G New York, NY 10025, USA.
E-mail: cgrenfro@modler.com
| [b] Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Center for
Population Research, University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS
38677-1848, USA. E-mail: dswanson@olemiss.edu
| 601 West 113th Street, #12G New York, NY 10025, USA | Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Center for Population
Research, University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS 38677-1848,
USA
Correspondence:
[*]
Corresponding author
Abstract: This paper introduces a special issue of the Journal of Economic and Social
Measurement that considers challenges that face the decennial US census at the
beginning of the twenty-first century. Some involve data needs and public
policy, some involve political issues, and others are technical. National and
local aspects are each examined. Because the census is bound to politics by
Article I of the US Constitution, competing political forces have continually
shaped it. Policy actions are examined that set the stage for census conflicts
in the late 20th century. Suggestions are offered for reducing these conflicts
in the 21st century. The exploration of technical issues facing the census
generally focuses on the question of how to accurately measure the rapidly
changing distribution and composition of the US population in a cost-effective
manner.
