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Do economic downturns fuel racial animus?

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  • Anderson, D. Mark
  • Crost, Benjamin
  • Rees, Daniel I.

Abstract

We estimate the effect of economic conditions during the Great Recession on racial animus, as measured by Google searches for a commonly used anti-black racial slur and hate crimes against blacks. Our empirical strategy exploits pre-recession cross-state variation in the size of two economic sectors particularly affected by the Great Recession: manufacturing and real estate. We find that states that were dependent on these sectors were hit hardest by the Great Recession, experienced the largest increases in racist internet searches, and experienced the largest increases in hate crimes against blacks.

Suggested Citation

  • Anderson, D. Mark & Crost, Benjamin & Rees, Daniel I., 2020. "Do economic downturns fuel racial animus?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 9-18.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jeborg:v:175:y:2020:i:c:p:9-18
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2020.04.004
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    4. Lu, Runjing & Sheng, Sophie Yanying, 2022. "How racial animus forms and spreads: Evidence from the coronavirus pandemic," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 200(C), pages 82-98.
    5. Mark Anderson, D. & Sabia, Joseph J. & Tekin, Erdal, 2021. "Child access prevention laws and juvenile firearm-related homicides," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 126(C).
    6. Hamza Bennani, 2021. "Monetary Policy and the Racial Unemployment Rates in the US," Working Papers hal-04159765, HAL.
    7. Drydakis, Nick, 2024. "Discrimination and Health Outcomes in England's Black Communities Amid the Cost-of-Living Crisis: Evaluating the Role of Inflation and Bank Rates," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1500, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    8. Armenak Antinyan & Tigran Aydinyan & Anna Ressi & Lilia Wasserka-Zhurakhovska, 2023. "An Experimental Analysis of In-Group Favoritism and Out-Group Discrimination in the Gain and Loss Domain," CESifo Working Paper Series 10606, CESifo.
    9. Runjing Lu & Yanying Sheng, 2020. "From Fear to Hate: How the Covid-19 Pandemic Sparks Racial Animus in the United States," Papers 2007.01448, arXiv.org.
    10. Dimitrios Nikolaou, 2022. "Same‐sex marriage laws, LGBT hate crimes, and employment discrimination charges," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 88(3), pages 869-905, January.
    11. Daria Denti & Alessandro Crociata & Alessandra Faggian, 2023. "Knocking on Hell’s door: dismantling hate with cultural consumption," Journal of Cultural Economics, Springer;The Association for Cultural Economics International, vol. 47(2), pages 303-349, June.
    12. Abraham, Samira S. & Lanzara, Gianandrea & Lazzaroni, Sara & Masella, Paolo & Squicciarini, Mara P., 2024. "Spatial and historical drivers of fake news diffusion: Evidence from anti-Muslim discrimination in India," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    13. Michael Christian Lehmann, 2023. "Macroeconomic volatility and anti‐refugee violence in developing countries: Evidence from commodity price shocks," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(2), pages 992-1012, May.
    14. Mara P. Squicciarini & Gianandrea Lanzara & Sara Lazzaroni & Paolo Masella, 2024. "Economic Shocks and Assimilation Policies: Phylloxera and Educational Expansion in French Algeria," BAFFI CAREFIN Working Papers 24221, BAFFI CAREFIN, Centre for Applied Research on International Markets Banking Finance and Regulation, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    15. Samira S. Abraham & Gianandrea Lanzara & Sara Lazzaroni & Paolo Masella & Mara P. Squicciarini, 2023. "The Spatial Drivers of Discrimination: Evidence From Anti-Muslim Fake News in India," Working Papers wp1180, Dipartimento Scienze Economiche, Universita' di Bologna.
    16. Ian P. McManus, 2024. "Workforce automation risks across race and gender in the United States," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 83(2), pages 463-492, March.
    17. Benjamin Crost, 2021. "Economic Conditions and the Rise of Anti-Democratic Extremism," Empirical Studies of Conflict Project (ESOC) Working Papers 24, Empirical Studies of Conflict Project.
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    19. Bray, Kerry & Braakmann, Nils & Wildman, John, 2024. "Austerity, welfare cuts and hate crime: Evidence from the UK's age of austerity," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Racial attitudes; Hate; Google trends; Economic conditions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • K42 - Law and Economics - - Legal Procedure, the Legal System, and Illegal Behavior - - - Illegal Behavior and the Enforcement of Law

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