Full Citation

Title: Theoretical and Empirical Analysis of the Effects of Affirmative Action on the Wage Gap

Citation Type: Dissertation/Thesis

Publication Year: 2009

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Abstract: Affirmative action in the United States has been a hotly contested and debated policy since Lyndon B. Johnson signed executive order 11246. The effects that affirmative action policy has had on the eradication of discrimination in the labor market are ambiguous. The purpose of my study is to analyze the potential negative effects affirmative action has on the wage gap and minority workers. The studies goal is to decide whether the correct tools are being employed to eliminate the wage gap between white males and minorities. I find that affirmative action policy has succeeded in closing the wage gap but not through the intended consequences of the policy. The emphasis on erasing discrimination through numerical yards has changed the mixture of the labor market but not attacked the obstructions for minorities in the labor market. The implications of my study suggest that discrimination against minorities is overstated in that human capital variations account for much of the wage gap. The study suggests that education is the key to eliminating the wage gap.

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Authors: Minerd, Mitchell

Institution: Allegheny College

Department: Economics

Advisor: Stephanie Martin

Degree: Bachelor of Arts

Publisher Location: Meadville, PA

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Data Collections: IPUMS USA, IPUMS CPS

Topics: Labor Force and Occupational Structure

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