Mexican Immigration

For the past several months, the issue of Latino immigration to the United States has been front and center in the halls of Congress and also in many state legislatures. So it was fortuitous that in March 2006, Dr. Douglas R Woodward of the Moore School of Business, University of South Carolina, completed

Called "Mexican Immigrants: The New Face of the South Carolina Labor Force," Woodward's study examines the economic and financial characteristics of Mexican immigrants in South Carolina, where the Latino population grew by 273 percent between 1990 and 2003, compared to 78 percent for the United States as a whole.

While the edited version of Woodward's study that appears as our cover story gives only the preliminary results from his effort, the data are striking. Among Woodward's conclusions:

* The majority of South Carolina's Latino population (estimated at more than 400,000) is made up of Mexicans, about 211,200 strong.

* About one-third of Mexican immigrants work in South Carolina's construction industry. The rest are spread across landscaping, manufacturing, restaurants, trade, and other industries.

* About 72 percent have resided in the state for five years or less.

* Mexican "buying power" in South Carolina amounts to $4.4 billion annually.

* It is not yet clear what the long-term implications of Mexican immigrant labor in South Carolina will be.

Our next article talks about leadership. Charlie Farrell, who is director of executive education at the Moore School, tells us that one aspect of leadership is controlling the "controllables," which includes our own attitude. Using the late basketball coach Frank McGuire as his role model, Farrell gives us an interesting take on how controlling our thought processes can help us become more effective leaders.

Then, when you drop your child off at day care - or if you remember when you used to - do you ever think about the economics of that industry? Dr. Donald L. Schunk, research economist at the Moore School of Business and himself the father of four young children, has just completed a study of the child care industry in South Carolina, and he has some interesting results. To find out how the child care industry supports the regional economy, supports working families, and can enable children to succeed in school and life (if the care is high-quality enough), read Schunk's article in full.

Then, since you may be vacationing at the beach this summer, wouldn't you like to know more about the controversial issue of beach renourishment? Dr. Timothy Kana, a geologist and the founder and president of a company called Coastal Science & Engineering in the Carolinas, looks at the economics of beach erosion and, conversely, renourishment to slow down that erosion - in the wake of the massive development of the North Carolina and South Carolina coasts during the past few decades. His numbers will surprise you.

Our regular columns look at recent changes in securities law that should help protect the consumer, how to fix the private health insurance market, and Skype, a wonderful, relatively new computer program that allows you to talk to another computer user (if you both have microphones) anywhere in the world - for free.

Finally, our regular Environmental Update, Quarterly Outlook, and Trends columns should round out your summer reading.

Jan Collins