Civil Rights Policies and the Achievement of Racial Economic Equality, 1948-1975

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to determine whether civil rights policies since 1964 have succeeded in systematically decreasing the gap between black and white male incomes, both nationally and regionally. We employ time-series regression analysis to separate the effects of cyclical economic conditions (unemployment and growth in the Gross National Product) from policy induced changes in the ratio of black to white income. We conclude that civil rights policies since 1964 have decreased the gap between black and white incomes, but that this effect is confined to the South.