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Title: Does Temporary Affirmative Action Produce Persistent Effects? A Study of Black and Female Employment in Law Enforcement

Citation Type: Miscellaneous

Publication Year: 2008

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Abstract: This paper exploits the rich variation in timing and outcomes of 140 employment discrimination lawsuits brought against US law enforcement agencies to estimate the cumulative employment effects of temporary, externally-imposed affirmative action (AA). Using confidential administrative data on 479 of the largest state and local agencies spanning a period of 33 years, we show that AA plans increase black employment for all ranks of police, averaging between 4.5 and 6.2 percentage points over and above any prevailing trends in the country. We find no erosion of black employment gains from AA in the decade and a half following AA termination. Nevertheless, in departments whose plans are terminated, we find a significant decrease in black employment growth relative to departments whose plans continue. In contrast to our findings for blacks, we find only marginal employment gains for women and none at higher ranks.

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Authors: Segal, Carmit; Miller, Amalia R.

Publisher: University of Virginia

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Crime and Deviance, Gender, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Race and Ethnicity

Countries: United States