Institute for Latino Studies Research

The Research Department is charged with conducting basic research and providing policy-relevant information about Latino communities. In addition to initiating independent research projects, the department maintains the coherence of the Institute’s research agenda across the centers and supports the research activities of the Inter-University Program for Latino Research (IUPLR).

Latinos and Demographic Change
US demographics have undergone a significant transformation over the past 30 years due in part to the movement of Latinos into and within the country. This simultaneous expansion and dispersion of the Latino population is having a considerable effect on the social structures, economy, and culture of the United States. Successfully adapting to these demographic changes will require a sustained program of qualitative and quantitative research to provide the basis for informed policy decisions.

Activities
The Research Department participates in the review of all Institute research publications and frequently collaborates with Notre Dame faculty and external authors in projects and publications such as a series of policy and research briefs (Latino Research @ ND), monographs, and other reports. Examples include the annual Latino Housing Report (with Esperanza) and The State of Latino Chicago, a series of reports designed to inform decision-makers at all levels about Latino-related issues affecting their communities.

In support of IUPLR, the Research Department has been designated an official Census Information Center. This designation allows the department to create and support projects such as the Chicago Fact Finder, which documents patterns of demographic and socioeconomic change throughout Chicagoland along with the contributions of its racially and ethnically diverse population to the vitality of its towns and neighborhoods. For more information visit www.nd.edu/~chifacts.

Research team members teach courses on various social science topics and statistical methods.

Since 2002 the Research Department has held an annual summer workshop on the use of quantitative data. Designed for approximately twenty participants, most of whom are faculty from IUPLR member centers, the workshop has focused on a variety of subject areas such as Census data, youth, poverty, education, and health.