Is American Science in Decline?

While the authors identify areas of concern regarding scientists’ low earnings, competition from Asia, and the declining number of academic positions, they conclude that science in the United States is not in decline. American culture is highly conducive to science, and educated workers with a range of skills will still be in demand in the future.

Yu Xie holds several faculty appointments at the University of Michigan. He is Otis Dudley Duncan Distinguished University Professor of Sociology and Statistics and Research Professor in the Survey Research Center and the Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research (ISR), where he directs the Quantitative Methodology Program (QMP). He is also a Faculty Associate at...

Yu Xie holds several faculty appointments at the University of Michigan. He is Otis Dudley Duncan Distinguished University Professor of Sociology and Statistics and Research Professor in the Survey Research Center and the Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research (ISR), where he directs the Quantitative Methodology Program (QMP). He is also a Faculty Associate at the Center for Chinese Studies.

Professor Xie's main areas of interest are social stratification, demography, statistical methods, and the sociology of science. He recently published Statistical Methods for Categorical Data Analysis with Daniel Powers (Second Edition, Emerald, 2008), Women in Science: Career Processes and Outcomes with Kimberlee Shauman (Harvard University Press, 2003), A Demographic Portrait of Asian Americans (Russell Sage Foundation and Population Reference Bureau 2004) with Kimberly Goyette, and Marriage and Cohabitation (University of Chicago Press 2007) with Arland Thornton and William Axinn.