Puerto Rico Research and Data Consortium to become repository for island stats
Professor Fernando Rivera emphasizes that accurate data is crucial for Puerto Rican public policy.
As director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, I constantly get requests from decision-makers, the news media and other interested parties on topics related to Puerto Rico — primarily population numbers, economic indicators and disaster reconstruction efforts on the island.
In my position as director, I have come to realize that accurate information on Puerto Rico and its diaspora is often sparse, incorrect or exaggerated.
To my surprise, these data issues I was encountering were not exclusive to my own experience. Back in March, I had the opportunity to participate on a panel at the National Puerto Rican Agenda Biennial National Convention in Philadelphia, alongside Dr. Charles Venator, director of the Puerto Rican Studies Initiative, and El Instituto: Institute for Latino/a, Caribbean and Latin American Studies at the University of Connecticut; and Dr. Carlos Vargas-Ramos, director for Public Policy, External and Media Relations and Development at the Center for Puerto Rican Studies (CENTRO) at CUNY Hunter College.
The panel was moderated by Chris Soto, senior adviser to U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona.
During our discussion, it became apparent that, although there are several sources of data, research and policy documents, there is no centralized repository to inform public policy on Puerto Rican issues, both stateside and on the archipelago. We also recognized the need to harmonize existing data.
As a result of that panel, we convened at the University of Connecticut in May for the inaugural Puerto Rican Studies Data and Public Policy Research Hub Summit. The purpose of the summit was to begin a conversation with different sectors of the Puerto Rican community that shape public policy decisions, including academic centers, elected officials, media and nonprofit organizations.
For this initial dialogue, we concentrated on representatives from Puerto Rico, New York, Florida and Connecticut, as well as other large Puerto Rican communities. The vision is to expand this discussion beyond these initial places in the future. We also addressed a glaring gap in our efforts — the need to include counterparts in Puerto Rico.
Thankfully, Dr. Venator had a prior relationship with Dr. Mayra Vélez-Serrano and Dr. Luis Raúl Cámara-Fuertes from the Department of Political Science at University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, and their new initiative, the Puerto Rico Public Opinion Lab (LabPOP). The lab was created to establish a permanent infrastructure to regularly conduct public opinion surveys in Puerto Rico.
The overall feedback from participants and the audience was that the data are valuable, but more are needed, in a variety of formats, more frequently and at different geographic levels (i.e., nation, state, locality and neighborhood). As for next steps, the centers need to discuss the possibilities and extent of collaborations to determine the best way to meet these data needs.
As a result of the feedback received, we’re laying the foundation for a new collaborative initiative, the Puerto Rico Research and Data Consortium.
The objective of the consortium is to formalize collaboration among our research data centers to leverage resources, standardize data presentation formats and create a shared repository of data and products to serve as a central clearinghouse.
In addition, the Puerto Rico Research Hub, in collaboration with the Graduate School of Planning (GSP) at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, recently launched a new open-access magazine: “Encuentros: Caribbean-American Planning and Public Policy Review.”
“Encuentros” is a digital annual journal whose objective is to disseminate original works aimed at understanding, improving or transforming the spatial and territorial sphere. The journal seeks to delve into issues related to planning, land use, public policy and urban design or theory.
All our efforts are aimed at providing information to all parties interested in Puerto Rico and its diaspora communities, especially the business sector, to help them better understand trends, opportunities and challenges related to Puerto Rican issues.
Author Fernando Rivera is a professor of sociology and director of the Puerto Rico Research Hub at the University of Central Florida.
