Why Has Black-White Skill Convergence Stopped?

75 Pages Posted: 23 Feb 2005 Last revised: 26 Oct 2022

See all articles by Derek A. Neal

Derek A. Neal

University of Chicago - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: January 2005

Abstract

All data sources indicate that black-white skill gaps diminished over most of the 20th century, but black-white skill gaps as measured by test scores among youth and educational attainment among young adults have remained constant or increased in absolute value since the late 1980s. I examine the potential importance of discrimination against skilled black workers, changes in black family structures, changes in black household incomes, black-white differences in parenting norms, and education policy as factors that may contribute to the recent stability of black-white skill gaps. Absent changes in public policy or the economy that facilitate investment in black children, best case scenarios suggest that even approximate black-white skill parity is not possible before 2050, and equally plausible scenarios imply that the black-white skill gap will remain quite significant throughout the 21st century.

Suggested Citation

Neal, Derek Allen, Why Has Black-White Skill Convergence Stopped? (January 2005). NBER Working Paper No. w11090, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=657602

Derek Allen Neal (Contact Author)

University of Chicago - Department of Economics ( email )

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Chicago, IL 60637
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

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