Nam-Powers-Boyd Occupational Status Scores were developed during the second half of the 20th century by Charles Nam, Mary Powers, Monica Boyd and several other research colleagues who collaborated in that work. To explore the origins and evolution of these NPB measures, all three of the central participants in this extended research endeavor participated in interviews conducted by Elwood Carlson, the first holder of the Charles B. Nam Professorship in Sociology of Population at Florida State University. These interviews offer unique insights into the opportunities and challenges faced by Nam, Powers and Boyd as their work evolved over time. The interviews center on discussions of three of the landmark publications documenting that evolution.
Charles Nam & Mary Powers. 1968. Changes in the relative status of workers in the United States, 1950-60. Social Forces 47(2): 158-170.
Charles Nam & Monica Boyd. 2004. Occupational status in 2000: Over a century of census-based measurement. Population Research and Policy Review 23(4): 327-358.