As the members of the Boston collective began to get tenure, the nature of the two main editorial collectives began to diverge, with the Boston Collective attracting junior faculty, while the Bay Area collective continued well into the 1980s to be composed primarily of graduate students and community activists. The Boston Collective was notable for the quality of its economic analysis, while the West Coast Collective was active in producing articles out of the various identity movements of the 1980s, always with an eye toward theory.
As tenure neared for members of the Boston collective, the editorial collectives began to diverge; the Boston Collective attracted junior faculty, while the Bay Area collective continued into the 1980s primarily consisting of graduate students and community activists. Both collectives were involved in producing articles related to identity movements during the 1980s, with a focus on theory.