Research Policy and Review 18. Losing Ground —Or Losing Credibility? An Examination of a Recent Policy Debate in the United States

This policy review is an examination of Charles Murray's Losing Ground, which is an investigation of the progress made by US blacks since 1950. The author purports to show that blacks have made little headway in terms of educational progress and income expectations, and are ‘losing ground’ within US society. A critical evaluation of Murray's research shows that he has focused on microeconomic issues at the expense of a consideration of wider structural changes, and that the book is thus flawed in a number of ways. This notwithstanding, the book has been successful, in that it has engendered academic analysis and political debate. It is inferred that, as an exercise in policy development, Murray has had a major impact exactly because he has offered a simplistic approach to his material. It is argued that this challenges what is regarded as the typical practice of scholarly research, publication, and discussion. The book constitutes an important yet distressing example for those who have aspirations for influencing the course of policy generation.