One of the most significant features of the U.S. economy in the 20th Century is the persistent earnings gap between men and women. The gap in earnings between Anglo men and women of color has also been an enduring featue of the U.S. labor market. Since 1949, the earnings gap between Latino women and Anglo men has remained virtually the same (53%–55%), even though Latinos have steadily increased their labor force participation at a faster rate than any other female group. While this form of gender inequality has received considerable attention, only a few studies have focused on the earnings of Latino women. This exploratory study tests the ability of a human capital model to explain earnings inequalities between Latino women (Mexican-American, Puerto Rican, and Cuban) and Anglo men. Using regression decomposition analyses, we also examine how the factors of race/ethnicity and gender affect the earnings differences between men and women. Our findings indicate that the human capital model accounts for less than 25% of the earnings difference between our male and female groups. When we control for the net effect of ethnicity holding gender constant, we find that the human capital model accounts for 83% of the earnings difference between Anglo women and racial/ethnic women, suggesting that gender is an important predictor in explaining the earnings gap. Given these results, we offer other possible explanations (e.g., economic restructuring) for the persistence of the inequality of earnings between Latino women and Anglo men. We conclude with some policy suggestions for alleviating this labor market problem.

In the late-1970s, Congress formed the High Plains Study Project to assess and study various management and water supply strategies for the Ogallala basin. In the early-1980s, the High Plains Study Council released its findings and recommendations, which in turn stimulated numerous interpretive critiques. A decade has passed since the High Plains Study Council report, yet water management problems persist. Using data from a stu^ey of water experts in New Mexico, we identify the determinants of support and opposition to three water management options: voluntary conservation, mandatory regulation, and water importation.Preference for water management strategies is a function of how policy is perceived (regtdatory vs. distribtitive). Water users in the Ogallala East region of New Mexico tended to oppose mandatory regtdatory policies that provide the best option for conserving ground water resources for future generations; voluntary conservation-the least effective option-enjoyed the strongest support from respondents. The findings of this research should be of interest to persons concerned with thefitture of the Ogallala aquifer and to students of public policy.

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