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This article makes two contributions to the empirical analysis of the socioeconomic achievement of ethnic minorities. The first contribution is methodological. The author relies on a discussion of the concept of equality of opportunity to analyze how the disadvantage suffered by ethnic minorities should be defined and empirically measured. The second contribution is empirical. The author estimates the disadvantage suffered by second-generation immigrants in the access to education, employment, and earnings in France. Contrary to most papers in this area, the author identifies second-generation immigrants in a consistent way, using information of parental geographic and national origin. He also discusses the extent to which measured [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article highlights the topics discussed in the September 2006 issue of the journal "American Behavioral Scientist." Some authors argue that strategies of state surveillance shape the construction of migrant identities in France. The other author traces ethnic transformation since the early 20th century, as the population shifted during the course of three generations from Italian to a mix of Italian, Latino and African American. Another paper deals with questions of immigration status and identity with relevance to questions of political belonging and cultural belonging to differentiate between the rights/responsibilities and the identificational dimensions of citizenship.