Full Citation
Title: Incentives to Identify: Racial Identity in the Age of Affirmative Action
Citation Type: Journal Article
Publication Year: 2015
ISBN:
ISSN: 0034-6535
DOI: 10.1162/REST_a_00527
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: Almost universally, economists treat self-reported ethnic identity as an exogenously given trait that is not subject to change. But in cases where one’s ethnic identity is subjective, does individual ethnic identification respond to economic incentives? This paper provides a first examination of this question by linking data on ethnic self-identification with changes in affirmative action policies in higher education. Consistent with a diminished incentive to identify as an ethnic minority, we find that individuals with weaker ancestral ties to an ethnic origin are less likely to identify in states where affirmative action admission policies have been struck down. In contrast, those with stronger ancestral ties to an ethnic origin are more likely to identify once affirmative action policies are no longer in place. We argue that these differences along ancestral lines are consistent with a model in which the political and social climate surrounding affirmative action policies impart a stigma on individuals who appear to belong to an underrepresented minority group and this stigma effect outweighs any economic incentive to identify for those with stronger ancestral ties. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate whether ethnic self-identification responds to local economic and social conditions in the United States. As such, it has broad implications for understanding the impact of affirmative action policies and the emerging literature on the construction of race and ethnicity.
Url: https://sole-jole.org/13471.pdf
Url: http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/10.1162/REST_a_00527
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Authors: Antman, Francisca; Duncan, Brian
Periodical (Full): Review of Economics and Statistics
Issue: 3
Volume: 97
Pages: 710-713
Data Collections: IPUMS USA
Topics: Education, Race and Ethnicity
Countries: United States