Working Paper: NBER ID: w0928
Authors: Richard B. Freeman
Abstract: This paper examines evidence on employment practices in the U.S. with respect to race and the impact of governmental anti-bias activity on these practices. It shows a striking difference in the responses of American employers to job applications differing in race from the responses of British employers and asks whether these differences can be attributed to the greater U.S. effort to aid minority workers. It reviews the recent research by Jonathan Leonard on the effect of court suits and affirmative action compliance activity and concludes that much of the improved status of minorities in the U.S. is indeed due to governmental activity and public policy.
Keywords: No keywords provided
JEL Codes: No JEL codes provided
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Public policy (D78) | Employment discrimination (J71) |
| Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (J71) | Economic status of employed black workers (J31) |
| Public policy (D78) | Economic status of minorities (J15) |
| Affirmative action and court suits (J78) | Reduction of discriminatory barriers (J79) |
| Differences in employer responses to job applications based on race in the US vs UK (J79) | Greater efforts of US public policy (H59) |