Jim Crow and Black economic progress after slavery

Althoff, Lukas and Reichardt, Hugo (2024) Jim Crow and Black economic progress after slavery. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 139 (4). 2279 - 2330. ISSN 0033-5533

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Abstract

This article studies the long-run effects of slavery and restrictive Jim Crow institutions on Black Americans’ economic outcomes. We track individual-level census records of each Black family from 1850 to 1940 and extend our analysis to neighborhood-level outcomes in 2000 and surname-based outcomes in 2023. We show that Black families whose ancestors were enslaved until the Civil War have considerably lower education, income, and wealth than Black families whose ancestors were free before the Civil War. The disparities between the two groups have persisted substantially because most families enslaved until the Civil War lived in states with strict Jim Crow regimes after slavery ended. In a regression discontinuity design based on ancestors’ enslavement locations, we show that Jim Crow institutions sharply reduced Black families’ economic progress in the long run.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2024 The Authors
Divisions:	Economics
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences > HC Economic History and Conditions
JEL classification:	N - Economic History > N3 - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income, and Wealth > N31 - Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income and Wealth: U.S.; Canada: Pre-1913 N - Economic History > N3 - Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income, and Wealth > N32 - Economic History: Labor and Consumers, Demography, Education, Health, Income and Wealth: U.S.; Canada: 1913- H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations > H70 - General J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J15 - Economics of Minorities and Races; Non-labor Discrimination J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J7 - Labor Discrimination > J70 - General O - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O15 - Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration P - Economic Systems > P1 - Capitalist Systems > P16 - Political Economy
Date Deposited:	24 Jul 2024 10:21
Last Modified:	14 Nov 2024 17:42
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/124335

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