Is there racism in economic research?

Abstract

This paper examines the issue of racism in economic research. Black and non-black scholars do see the world differently. Black authors are 13% more likely to report a finding of racial discrimination against blacks. Additionally, among the profession as a whole, there is a continuous long-term trend against published studies finding racial discrimination in the economics of crime, credit, or labor markets. Further, papers published in The Review of Black Political Economy (RBPE)—a black controlled economics journal—receive nearly four fewer citations than papers published in the average economics journals, while papers published in the top-tier journals receive a premium of more than eight citations relative to the average economics journal. Finally, black authors were slightly less likely to publish in top-tier journals.