New research by Chika Okafor shows how district attorney elections drove up prison admissions and sentence lengths during the era of rising mass incarceration.

Marking the Declaration's 250th anniversary from Monticello—home of its author—reckoning with promises unfulfilled and truths that still hold

The math will not change. The only question is whether our laws will reckon with it.

A Republican politician is mounting a legal challenge to Illinois’ Voting Rights Act. She joins the program to discuss the case along with experts, who weigh in on voter representation in different ar...

The Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Louisiana’s second majority-Black Congressional district could have major ramifications for redistricting and minority representation and leadership across ...

The case could determine whether Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is constitutional.

New economic research shows that even under fully colorblind hiring and admissions policies, outcomes over time would not be fair.

New economic research shows that even under fully colorblind hiring and admissions policies, outcomes over time would not be fair.

Research highlights the important role of social networks in the labor markets

Abstract I study labor markets in which firms both hire via referrals and are race blind or color-blind. I develop an employment model showing that despite initial equality in ability, employment, wages, and network structure, minorities receive disproportionately fewer jobs through referrals and lower expected wages, simply because their social group is smaller. This discriminatory outcome, which I term “social network discrimination,” arises from homophily and falls outside the dominant economics discrimination models, which are taste based and statistical. I calibrate the model using a nationally representative sample of youth networks to estimate the lower bound welfare gap caused by social network discrimination, which also disadvantages black workers. This paper isolates a potential underlying mechanism for inequality, adding to the understanding of labor-market disparities that have been widely studied across the social sciences. In doing so, the paper disproves the proposition that color-blind policies inherently promote individual merit.

In troubled times, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful lines may seem passive or even naive. But it’s a call to action.

Podcast Episode · Machines Like Us · 2024-12-03 · 46m

Abstract. We assess the impact of discrimination on Black individuals’ job networks across the U.S. using a two-stage field experiment with 400+ fictitious

Chika Okafor’s research merges economics with educational psychology to understand how the methods we use to communicate about important issues influence public action.

EPISODE 4: Jonathan and I speak to Belinda Archibong about the legacies of colonial institutions, the potential of AI in addressing gender gaps, and why Africa is

In troubled times, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful lines may seem passive or even naive. But it’s a call to action.