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On Race and Policy History: A Dialogue about the G.I. Bill

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 August 2008

Ira Katznelson  and
Suzanne Mettler
Ira Katznelson
Affiliation:
Columbia University. E-mail: iik1@columbia.edu
Suzanne Mettler
Affiliation:
Cornell University E-mail: sbm24@cornell.edu
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Abstract

We have independently analyzed the effects of the G.I. Bill's widely-utilized education and training benefits, and reached different conclusions. One of us argues that the implementation of these benefits, especially in the South, helped widen the income and wealth gaps between whites and blacks and further marginalized many African Americans; the other considers them to have been a rare example of a relatively inclusive policy, one that fostered equal citizenship. Because we are both historical institutionalists and we both share interests in matters of social policy, equality, and race, these dissimilar accounts require explanation. This dialogue first considers methodological issues, explaining our decisions about which forms of data to use and to emphasize, and how we made sense of contradictory findings. It next discusses interpretive matters, examining the processes through which we sometimes reached different conclusions even when we confronted the same evidence. Finally, the exchange considers some implications of our findings, probing the lessons they convey both about policy research and practice.

Type
Dialogue
Information
Perspectives on Politics , Volume 6 , Issue 3 , September 2008 , pp. 519 - 537
Copyright
Copyright © American Political Science Association 2008

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