Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Human Resources
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Human Resources

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Follow JHR on Bluesky
Research ArticleArticles

Wage Discrimination When Identity Is Subjective

Evidence from Changes in Employer-Reported Race

Christopher Cornwell, Jason Rivera and Ian M. Schmutte
Journal of Human Resources, July 2017, 52 (3) 719-755; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.52.3.0815-7340R1
Christopher Cornwell
Christopher Cornwell is a professor of economics at the University of Georgia. Jason Rivera is Senior Manager and Econometrician at Inductis/EXL Service. Ian M. Schmutte is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Georgia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jason Rivera
Christopher Cornwell is a professor of economics at the University of Georgia. Jason Rivera is Senior Manager and Econometrician at Inductis/EXL Service. Ian M. Schmutte is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Georgia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Ian M. Schmutte
Christopher Cornwell is a professor of economics at the University of Georgia. Jason Rivera is Senior Manager and Econometrician at Inductis/EXL Service. Ian M. Schmutte is an assistant professor of economics at the University of Georgia
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

References

  1. ↵
    1. Abowd John M.,
    2. Kramarz Francis,
    3. Margolis David N.
    1999. “High Wage Workers and High Wage Firms”. Econometrica 67 (2):251–333.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  2. ↵
    1. Abowd John M.,
    2. Stinson Martha H.
    2013. “Estimating Measurement Error in Annual Job Earnings: A Comparison of Survey and Administrative Data”. The Review of Economics and Statistics 95 (5):1451–67.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  3. ↵
    1. Akerlof George A.,
    2. Kranton Rachel E.
    2000. “Economics and Identity”. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 115 (3):715–53.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  4. ↵
    1. Antman Francisca,
    2. Duncan Brian
    . 2015. “Incentives to Identify: Racial Identity in the Age of Affirmative Action”. The Review of Economics and Statistics 97 (3):710–3.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  5. ↵
    1. Bertrand Marianne,
    2. Mullainathan Sendhil
    . 2004. “Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal? A Field Experiment on Labor Market Discrimination”. American Economic Review 94 (4):991–1013.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  6. ↵
    1. Biavaschi Costanza,
    2. Giulietti Corrado,
    3. Siddique Zahra
    . 2013. “The Economic Payoff of Name Americanization.” IZA Discussion Papers 7725. Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  7. ↵
    1. Card David
    . 1996. “The Effect of Unions on the Structure of Wages: A Longitudinal Analysis”. Econometrica 64 (4):957–79.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  8. ↵
    1. Cassan Guilhem
    . 2015. “Identity-Based Policies and Identity Manipulation: Evidence from Colonial Punjab”. American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 7 (4):103–31.
    OpenUrl
  9. ↵
    1. Daniel G. Reginald
    . 2010. Race and Multiraciality in Brazil and the United States: Converging Paths? Philadelphia: Pennsylvania State University Press.
  10. ↵
    1. Duncan Brian,
    2. Trejo Stephen J.
    2011. “Intermarriage and the Intergenerational Transmission of Ethnic Identity and Human Capital for Mexican Americans”. Journal of Labor Economics 29 (2):195–227.
    OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science
  11. ↵
    1. Fiola Jan
    . 1990. Race Relations in Brazil: A Reassessment of the “Racial Democracy” Thesis. Occasional papers series, Latin American Studies Program. Amherst: University of Massachusetts.
  12. ↵
    1. Francis A.M.,
    2. Tannuri-Pianto M.
    2012. “Using Brazil’s Racial Continuum to Examine the Short-Term Effects of Affirmative Action in Higher Education”. Journal of Human Resources 47 (3):754–84.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  13. ↵
    1. Francis A.M.,
    2. Tannuri-Pianto M.
    2013. “Endogenous Race in Brazil: Affirmative Action and the Construction of Racial Identity Among Young Adults.” Economic Development and Cultural Change pp.1–35.
  14. ↵
    1. Francis-Tan Andrew,
    2. Tannuri-Pianto Maria
    . 2015. “Inside the Black Box: Affirmative Action and the Social Construction of Race in Brazil”. Ethnic and Racial Studies 38 (15):2771–90.
    OpenUrl
  15. ↵
    1. Gibbons Robert,
    2. Katz Lawrence
    . 1992. “Does Unmeasured Ability Explain Inter-Industry Wage Differentials?” Review of Economic Studies 59 (3):515–35.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  16. ↵
    1. Goldsmith Arthur H.,
    2. Hamilton Darrick,
    3. Darity William Jr.
    2006. “Shades of Discrimination: Skin Tone and Wages”. The American Economic Review 96 (2):242–5.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  17. ↵
    1. Heckman James J.
    1998. “Detecting Discrimination”. The Journal of Economic Perspectives 12 (2):101–16.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  18. ↵
    1. Hospido Laura
    . 2010. “Job Changes and Individual-Job Specific Wage Dynamics.” IZA Discussion Papers 5088. Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA).
  19. ↵
    1. Kreisman Daniel,
    2. Rangel Marcos A.
    2015. “Blurring the Color Line: Wages and Employment for Black Males of Different Skin Tones”. Review of Economics and Statistics 97 (1):1–13.
    OpenUrl
  20. ↵
    1. Krishna Pravin,
    2. Poole Jennifer P.,
    3. Senses Mine Zeynep
    . 2014. “Wage Effects of Trade Reform with Endogenous Worker Mobility”. Journal of International Economics 93 (2):239–52.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  21. ↵
    1. Lang Kevin,
    2. Lehmann Jee-Yeon K.
    2012. “Racial Discrimination in the Labor Market: Theory and Empirics”. Journal of Economic Literature 50 (4):959–1006.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  22. ↵
    1. Lang Kevin,
    2. Manove Michael,
    3. Dickens William T.
    2005. “Racial Discrimination in Labor Markets with Posted Wage Offers”. The American Economic Review 95 (4):1327–40.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  23. ↵
    1. Liebler Carolyn A.,
    2. Rastogi Sonya,
    3. Fernandez Leticia E.,
    4. Noon James M.,
    5. Ennis Sharon R.
    2014. “Americas Churning Races: Race and Ethnic Response Changes Between Census 2000 and the 2010 Census.” Technical Report 2014-09. United States Census Bureau, Center for Administrative Records Research and Applications Working Paper.
  24. ↵
    1. Lopes de Melo Rafael
    . 2013. “Firm Wage Differentials and Labor Market Sorting: Reconciling Theory and Evidence.” Working Paper.
  25. ↵
    1. Menezes-Filho Naércio A.,
    2. Muendler Marc-Andreas,
    3. Ramey Garey
    . 2008. “The Structure of Worker Compensation in Brazil, with a Comparison to France and the United States”. Review of Economics and Statistics 90 (2):324–46.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  26. ↵
    1. Muendler Marc-Andreas,
    2. Rauch James E.,
    3. Oana Tocoian O.
    2012. “Employee Spinoffs and Other Entrants: Stylized facts from Brazil”. International Journal of Industrial Organization 30 (September):447–58.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  27. ↵
    1. Neal Derek A.,
    2. Johnson William R.
    1996. “The Role of Premarket Factors in Black-White Wage Differences”. Journal of Political Economy 104 (5):869–95.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  28. ↵
    1. Neumark David
    . 2012. “Detecting Discrimination in Audit and Correspondence Studies”. Journal of Human Resources 47 (4):1128–57.
    OpenUrlAbstract/FREE Full Text
  29. ↵
    1. Nix Emily,
    2. Qian Nancy
    . 2015. “The Fluidity of Race: Passing in the United States, 1880–1940.” Working Paper 20828. National Bureau of Economic Research.
  30. ↵
    1. Parsons Christopher A.,
    2. Sulaeman Johan,
    3. Yates Michael C.,
    4. Hamermesh Daniel S.
    2011. “Strike Three: Discrimination, Incentives, and Evaluation”. American Economic Review 101(June):1410–35.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  31. ↵
    1. Poole Jennifer P.
    2013. “Knowledge Transfers from Multinational to Domestic Firms: Evidence from Worker Mobility”. The Review of Economics and Statistics 95 (2):393–406.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  32. ↵
    1. Prewitt Kenneth
    . 2013. What is Your Race? The Census and Our Flawed Efforts to Classify Americans. Princeton University Press.
  33. ↵
    1. Price Joseph,
    2. Wolfers Justin
    . 2010. “Racial Discrimination Among NBA Referees”. Quarterly Journal of Economics 125 (4):1859–87.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  34. ↵
    1. Racusen S.
    2009. “Affirmative Action and Identity.” In Brazil’s New Racial Politics. Boulder: Lynne Rienner Publishers. p. 89–122.
  35. ↵
    1. Rouse Cecilia,
    2. Goldin Claudia
    . 2000. “Orchestrating Impartiality: The Impact of ‘Blind’ Auditions on Female Musicians”. American Economic Review 90 (4):715–41.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  36. ↵
    1. Saperstein Aliya,
    2. Penner Andrew M.
    2012. “Racial Fluidity and Inequality in the United States”. American Journal of Sociology 118 (3):676–727.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  37. ↵
    1. Schmutte Ian M.
    2015. “Job Referral Networks and the Determination of Earnings in Local Labor Markets”. Journal of Labor Economics 33 (1):1–32.
    OpenUrl
  38. ↵
    1. Schwarcz Lilia Moritz
    . 2003. “Not Black, Not White: Just the Opposite: Culture, Race and National Identity in Brazil.” Centre for Brazilian Studies. Working Paper Number CBS-47-03. University of Oxford.
  39. ↵
    1. Schwartzman Luisa Farah
    . 2007. “Does Money Whiten? Intergenerational Changes in Racial Classification in Brazil”. American Sociological Review 72 (6):940–63.
    OpenUrlCrossRef
  40. ↵
    1. Telles Edward E.
    2002. “Racial Ambiguity Among the Brazilian Population”. Ethnic and Racial Studies 25 (3):415–41.
    OpenUrlCrossRefWeb of Science
  41. ↵
    1. Telles Edward E
    . 2004. Race in Another America: The Significance of Skin Color in Brazil. Princeton paperbacks, Princeton University Press.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Human Resources: 52 (3)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 52, Issue 3
1 Jul 2017
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Human Resources.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Wage Discrimination When Identity Is Subjective
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Human Resources
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Human Resources web site.
Citation Tools
Wage Discrimination When Identity Is Subjective
Christopher Cornwell, Jason Rivera, Ian M. Schmutte
Journal of Human Resources Jul 2017, 52 (3) 719-755; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.52.3.0815-7340R1

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Wage Discrimination When Identity Is Subjective
Christopher Cornwell, Jason Rivera, Ian M. Schmutte
Journal of Human Resources Jul 2017, 52 (3) 719-755; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.52.3.0815-7340R1
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Race in Brazil
    • III. Data on Race and Job Mobility
    • IV. Modeling Racial Classification and Wages
    • V. Results
    • VI. Possible Mechanisms and Alternative Specifications
    • VII. Conclusions
    • Appendix 1
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Licensure Tests and Teacher Supply
  • Closing the Gap Between Vocational and General Education?
  • Crossing Borders
Show more Articles

Similar Articles

UW Press logo

© 2025 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire