The effects of affirmative action on the incentives to human capital accumulation are ambiguous from a theoretical perspective and the scarce empirical evidence on the matter provides mixed results. In this paper, we address this issue by investigating the impacts of Brazil's Law of Quotas on the students' performance in the college entrance exam,…

Official rhetorics often highlight horizontality, solidarity, and shared interests as features of South-South cooperation (SSC), but scholars have argued that tensions shape SSC as much as North-South development relations. This study examines the Brazilian SSC discourse and its everyday practices. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork at a newly…

This paper examines how affirmative action in Brazilian public universities has evolved from the start of the new millennium up to recent years. After an overview of the existing policies in public universities, we explain these patterns based on an analysis of the processes internal and external to the universities. Although these policies were…

No issue in American higher education is more contentious than that of race-based affirmative action. In light of the ongoing debate around the topic and recent Supreme Court rulings, affirmative action policy may be facing further changes. As an alternative to race-based affirmative action, some analysts suggest affirmative action policies based…

At the heart of the discussion in this special issue on race and affirmative action is the issue of whether race should be used as a category in admissions policies of South African universities. In my contribution I shall argue that there are no races. By race I mean the idea that skin colour (or other phenotypical features) associated with…

The compelling essays in this issue of the journal take on the often contentious and complex issue of racial affirmative action. I do not wish to repeat the arguments authors offer either in defence or against student admissions to a university on the grounds of race, (dis)advantage, class, gender, and so on. Rather, I wish to respond to a…

Dr. Wallace Loh still remembers the sting of hearing his high school teachers in Peru call him "el chino"--Spanish for "Chinese boy." Why didn't they simply use his name? After all, they did so with his classmates. They typically did not single out students of other foreign nationalities, such as calling the German student…

Discusses early experiences of school governing bodies in South Africa. Examines governing bodies' powers to set fees, resulting impact on resources for different types of schools, and implications for equity and equality. Explores governing bodies' admission policies and how this led to school populations differentiated by class and race. (CAJ)

"Chronicle of Higher Education" presents an abundant source of news and information for college and university faculty members and administrators. This October 1, 2004 issue of "Chronicle of Higher Education" includes the following articles: (1) "Ditch the Boyfriend" (Fleer, Elizabeth); (2) "Missing Summer Already" (Benton, Thomas H.); (3)…