Full Citation

Title: The Costs of Employment Segregation: Evidence from the Federal Government under Wilson

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2022

ISBN:

ISSN: 0898-2937

DOI: 10.3386/w27798

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Abstract: We link personnel records of the federal civil service to census data for 1907-1921 to study the segregation of the civil service by race under President Woodrow Wilson. Using a difference-indifferences design to compare the black-white wage gap around Wilson's presidential transition, we find that the introduction of employment segregation increased the black wage penalty by 7 percentage points. This gap increases over time and is driven by a reallocation of already-serving black civil servants to lower paid positions. Our results thus document significant costs borne by minorities during a unique episode of state-sanctioned discrimination.

Url: https://www.nber.org/papers/w27798

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Authors: Aneja, Abhay; Xu, Guo

Periodical (Full): The Quarterly Journal of Economics

Issue: 2

Volume: 137

Pages: 911-958

Data Collections: IPUMS USA - Ancestry Full Count Data

Topics: Housing and Segregation, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Race and Ethnicity

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