Affirmative Action and Precollege Human Capital

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Akhtari, Mitra; Bau, Natalie; Laliberte, Jean-William
• 署名单位: Center for Economic & Policy Research (CEPR); National Bureau of Economic Research; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; University of Calgary
• 刊物名称: AMERICAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL-APPLIED ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1945-7782
• DOI: 10.1257/app.20210807
• 发表日期: 2024
• 页码: 1-32
• 关键词: synthetic control methods; admissions; california; education; university

摘要

Though racial affirmative action (AA) policies are widespread in college admissions, evidence on their effects before college is limited. We study a US Supreme Court ruling that reinstated AA in three states. Using nationwide SAT data, we separately identify positive effects of AA for Whites and underrepresented minorities. Using Texas administrative data, we find that AA narrowed racial gaps in grades, attendance, and college applications. Improvements in minorities' precollege human capital and college applications are concentrated in the top half of the test score distribution among the students for whom the policy most increases the returns to human capital investment. (JEL H75, I21, I23, I28, J15, J24, K10)