Michigan State University Extension
Diversity and Pluralism - 02160074
12/95/
ERIC TITLE NUMBER: ED269530 AUTHOR: Smith, James P.; Welch, Finis R.
TITLE: Closing the Gap: Forty Years of Economic Progress for
Blacks.
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1986
NOTE: 163 p.
AVAILABILITY: Rand Corporation, 1700 Main Street, P.O. Box
2138, Santa Monica, CA 90406-2138 ($10.00).
ABSTRACT: This report presents the findings on the long-term
economic progress of American blacks. The report consists of
seven sections. The first is a general introduction. Section
2 describes major changes in the racial wage gap for males
from 1940 to 1980 and identifies the distribution of wage
gains among important subgroups in the black population.
Section 3 describes differential racial trends in schooling
and the income benefits associated with education. Section 4
deals with the influence of two dimensions of geographic
location: black migration to the North and the increasing
urbanization of the black population. The extent to which
education and place of residence "explain" trends in black
white wage ratios are summarized in Section 5. Section 6
discusses the implications of three historical developments
in recent black economic history: the invention of the
mechanical cotton picker, the declining workforce
participation rates of low-income blacks during the 1970s,
and affirmative action. The final section speculates about
likely future trends in the racial wage gap. The 40-year
record clearly points to a large improvement in the relative
economic status of black men. Although black poverty
persists, a large black middle class has emerged. The
largest wage improvements were found among younger blacks
and college-educated blacks. Education has helped
significantly to close the income gap, particularly through
the narrowing of education disparities between the races and
the improved economic return to black schooling. (KH)
KEY DESCRIPTORS: Affirmative-Action; Black-Education; Black
Family; Economic-Opportunities; Equal-Opportunities-Jobs;
Geographic-Location; Government-Role; Labor-Force
Nonparticipants; Males-; Relocation-; Role-of-Education;
Unemployment-; United-States-History
KEY DESCRIPTORS: *Black-Employment; *Blacks-; *Economic
Progress; *Educational-Benefits; *Racial-Differences;
*Salary-Wage-Differentials
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