Where have the social sciences come in understanding racial discrimination? An economist’s viewpoint

Following a brief assessment of the postwar literature on discrimination, this essay tracks black economic progress from 1940–2000. During the postwar period, social scientists studying discrimination have focused on three areas- the origins of prejudice, antidiscrimination policy and measuring whether equals are treated unequally. The emphasis in the literature, particularly in economics, has been on the third area. It is well documented that during 1940–80, blacks made significant relative economic progress. The consensus in the literature is that this progress was due to a significant narrowing of the racial educational gap, improved quality of black schools and the migration of blacks to the North. However, little is known about the extent of racial discrimination during this period. The 1980–2000 period is characterized by nearly complete stagnation in black economic progress and social scientists know relatively little about the reasons for the stagnation. The extent of racial discrimination during the later period is virtually unknown. The uncertainty about the post-1980 period can only be resolved through scrutiny of newly emerging data sets.