Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: The Economics of Perceived Social Status: Theory and Evidence

Fryer, Roland G, Arlington VA

Investigators

Abstract

The current explanations for educational disparities between minorities and non-minorities, as measured by grade point averages (GPA), standardized test scores, achievement tests, etc., range anywhere between genetic inferiority, genetic comparative advantages, and purely environmental factors. However, this entire literature, especially in economics, has for the most part, ignored a phenomenon entitled 'Acting White' (hereafter referred to as 'AW'). This postdoctoral research and training plan attempts to theoretically model and empirically estimate this phenomenon, in order to shed some light on the set of possible explanations for the observed disparities in educational attainment and performance between minorities and non-minorities. It is believed that in an environment in which 'AW' is present, one can have disparate educational outcomes between multiple groups even when they are all genetically identical. This result is due to the fact that the minority group may be required to make additional investments that may or may not be complementary to their likelihood of success in the dominant society. Furthermore, by ignoring the possibility of the 'AW' phenomenon, current qualitative interpretations of empirical data related to educational attainment may be misplaced.