More than Just Friends? School Peers and Adult Interracial Relationships

48 Pages Posted: 15 Jul 2017 Last revised: 25 May 2018

See all articles by Luca Merlino

Luca Merlino

Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne

Max Friedrich Steinhardt

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Department of Business and Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics; Centro Studi Luca D'Agliano (LdA); Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI)

Liam Wren-Lewis

Paris School of Economics (PSE)

Date Written: April 3, 2018

Abstract

This paper investigates whether interracial contact in childhood impacts adult romantic relationships. We exploit quasi-random variation in the share of black students across cohorts within US schools. We find that more black peers of the same gender lead whites to have more relationships with blacks as adults. While we do not find impacts on labor market outcomes, there are significant effects on reported racial attitudes. Furthermore, an increase in meeting opportunities is unlikely to explain the increased interracial relationships, since the effect is persistent across time, space and social networks. Overall, interracial contact during childhood has important long-term behavioral consequences.

JEL Classification: J12, J15, J16

Suggested Citation

Merlino, Luca and Steinhardt, Max Friedrich and Wren-Lewis, Liam, More than Just Friends? School Peers and Adult Interracial Relationships (April 3, 2018). Journal of Labor Economics, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2999043 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2999043

Luca Merlino

Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne ( email )

17, rue de la Sorbonne
Paris, IL 75005
France

Max Friedrich Steinhardt

Free University of Berlin (FUB) - Department of Business and Economics ( email )

Boltzmannstrasse 20
D-14195 Berlin, 14195
Germany

IZA Institute of Labor Economics ( email )

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Centro Studi Luca D'Agliano (LdA) ( email )

Via P. Amedeo 34
Milano, Mi 20122
Italy

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/maxfriedrichsteinhardt/

Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI) ( email )

Heimhuder Str.71
Hamburg, 20148
Germany
0049-40-340576-662 (Phone)
0049-(0)40-340576776 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://https://sites.google.com/site/maxfriedrichsteinhardt/

Liam Wren-Lewis (Contact Author)

Paris School of Economics (PSE) ( email )

48 Boulevard Jourdan
Paris, 75014 75014
France

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