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Anti‐Discrimination Versus Anti‐Poverty: Does Affirmative Action Hurt the Poor?

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  • Major G. Coleman

Abstract

Scholars have implied that affirmative action is associated with deteriorating conditions for the poor. However, few have attempted to demonstrate any association between affirmative action and poverty empirically. The author relied upon data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) 1975‐1999 and a generalized least squares model to test the relationship between the percent of Blacks who qualify as poor in a given year and several measures of affirmative action. The author finds a mixed but largely null relationship between Black poverty and affirmative action and concludes that affirmative action programs have little impact on Black poverty levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Major G. Coleman, 2009. "Anti‐Discrimination Versus Anti‐Poverty: Does Affirmative Action Hurt the Poor?," Poverty & Public Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 1(2), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:povpop:v:1:y:2009:i:2:p:1-21
    DOI: 10.2202/1944-2858.1015
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bloch, Farrell, 1994. "Antidiscrimination Law and Minority Employment," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226059839, December.
    2. Leonard, Jonathan S, 1984. "Employment and Occupational Advance under Affirmative Action," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 66(3), pages 377-385, August.
    3. David Neumark & Harry Holzer, 2000. "Assessing Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 483-568, September.
    4. Major Coleman, 1999. "Merit, cost, and the affirmative action policy debate," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 27(1), pages 99-127, September.
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