IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/urbstu/v39y2002i10p1793-1818.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Contesting the Magic of the Market-place: Black Employment and Business Concentration in the Urban Context

Author

Listed:
  • G. Coleman

    (Department of African and African American Studies, Political Science, and Labor Studies and Industrial Relations, Pennsylvania State University, 133 Willard Building, University Park, PA 16802-2800, USA, mcoleman@psu.edu)

Abstract

The spatial decentralisation of urban firms has been the primary focus of urbanists seeking to understand how Black employment is impacted by the changing nature of business in the US. Very little attention has been given to the impact of market concentration on Black employment in the urban environment. Using the most recent data available from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the paper finds that Black male and female employment is positively associated with greater market concentration, not greater market competition as predicted by some neo-classical economists. There is little support for the contention that economic forces at work in competitive markets tend to minimise discrimination, either in the urban environment, or in the nation as a whole. The central city continues to be an important factor in Black employment because central-city firms are in industries with higher market concentration, which tend to employ more Black workers. However, increased market concentration is a crucial element in Black employment, regardless of industry location or worker occupation.

Suggested Citation

  • G. Coleman, 2002. "Contesting the Magic of the Market-place: Black Employment and Business Concentration in the Urban Context," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 39(10), pages 1793-1818, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:39:y:2002:i:10:p:1793-1818
    DOI: 10.1080/0042098022000002966
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1080/0042098022000002966
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/0042098022000002966?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Welch, Finis, 1976. "Employment Quotas for Minorities," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 84(4), pages 105-139, August.
    2. Heywood, John S & Peoples, James H, Jr, 1994. "Deregulation and the Prevalence of Black Truck Drivers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(1), pages 133-155, April.
    3. James J. Heckman, 1998. "Detecting Discrimination," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 101-116, Spring.
    4. Comanor, William S, 1973. "Racial Discrimination in American Industry," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 40(160), pages 363-378, November.
    5. Mason, Patrick L., 1994. "An empirical derivation of the industry wage equation," MPRA Paper 11325, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Harry J. Holzer & David Neumark, 2000. "What Does Affirmative Action Do?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 53(2), pages 240-271, January.
    7. John Jeffries & Howard Stanback, 1984. "Employment and training policy for Black America: Beyond placebo to progressive public policy," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 13(1), pages 119-137, June.
    8. Peter Gottschalk, 1997. "Inequality, Income Growth, and Mobility: The Basic Facts," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 21-40, Spring.
    9. Bloch, Farrell, 1994. "Antidiscrimination Law and Minority Employment," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, number 9780226059839, September.
    10. William A. Darity, 1998. "Intergroup Disparity: Economic Theory and Social Science Evidence," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 64(4), pages 805-826, April.
    11. Becker, Gary S., 1971. "The Economics of Discrimination," University of Chicago Press Economics Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 2, number 9780226041162, September.
    12. John E. Roemer, 1979. "Divide and Conquer: Microfoundations of a Marxian Theory of Wage Discrimination," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 10(2), pages 695-705, Autumn.
    13. Steven Shulman, 1996. "The political economy of labor market discrimination: A classroom-friendly presentation of the theory," The Review of Black Political Economy, Springer;National Economic Association, vol. 24(4), pages 47-64, June.
    14. Mason, Patrick L, 1995. "Race, Competition and Differential Wages," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 19(4), pages 545-567, August.
    15. Phelps, Edmund S, 1972. "The Statistical Theory of Racism and Sexism," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(4), pages 659-661, September.
    16. David Neumark & Harry Holzer, 2000. "Assessing Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 483-568, September.
    17. White, Lawrence J, 1981. "On Measuring Aggregate Concentration: A Reply [What Has Been Happening to Aggregate Concentration in the United States?]," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(2), pages 223-224, December.
    18. White, Lawrence J, 1981. "What Has Been Happening to Aggregate Concentration in the United States?," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 223-230, March.
    19. Shepherd, William G & Levin, Sharon G, 1973. "Managerial Discrimination in Large Firms," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 55(4), pages 412-422, November.
    20. John F. Kain, 1968. "Housing Segregation, Negro Employment, and Metropolitan Decentralization," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 82(2), pages 175-197.
    21. Bowles, Samuel & Gintis, Herbert, 1977. "The Marxian Theory of Value and Heterogeneous Labour: A Critique and Reformulation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 1(2), pages 173-192, June.
    22. William A. Darity & Patrick L. Mason, 1998. "Evidence on Discrimination in Employment: Codes of Color, Codes of Gender," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 12(2), pages 63-90, Spring.
    23. Harry J. Holzer, 1991. "The Spatial Mismatch Hypothesis: What Has the Evidence Shown?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 28(1), pages 105-122, February.
    24. Barbara R. Bergmann, 1974. "Occupational Segregation, Wages and Profits When Employers Discriminate by Race or Sex," Eastern Economic Journal, Eastern Economic Association, vol. 1(2), pages 103-110, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. David Neumark & Harry Holzer, 2000. "Assessing Affirmative Action," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 483-568, September.
    2. Stephen L. Ross, 2003. "What Is Known about Testing for Discrimination: Lessons Learned by Comparing across Different Markets," Working papers 2003-21, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics, revised Nov 2003.
    3. Maarten Vendrik & Christiane Schwieren, 2010. "Identification, screening and stereotyping in labour market discrimination," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 99(2), pages 141-171, March.
    4. David Neumark & Wendy A. Stock, 2001. "The Effects of Race and Sex Discrimination Laws," NBER Working Papers 8215, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Kevin Lang & Jee-Yeon K. Lehmann, 2012. "Racial Discrimination in the Labor Market: Theory and Empirics," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 50(4), pages 959-1006, December.
    6. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pc:p:3143-3259 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Clémence Berson, 2016. "Local labor markets and taste-based discrimination," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 5(1), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Danielle Lewis & Dek Terrell, 2001. "Experience, Tenure, and the Perceptions of Employers," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 67(3), pages 578-597, January.
    9. Luca Flabbi, 2010. "Gender Discrimination Estimation In A Search Model With Matching And Bargaining," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 51(3), pages 745-783, August.
    10. Jacqueline Agesa, 1998. "The impact of deregulation on employment discrimination in the trucking industry," Atlantic Economic Journal, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 26(3), pages 288-303, September.
    11. Paul Frijters & Michael A. Shields & Stephen Wheatley Price & Nikolaos Theodoropoulos, 2006. "Testing for Employee Discrimination in Britain using Matched Employer-Employee Data," University of Cyprus Working Papers in Economics 8-2006, University of Cyprus Department of Economics.
    12. Harry J. Holzer & Keith R. Ihlanfeldt, 1998. "Customer Discrimination and Employment Outcomes for Minority Workers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(3), pages 835-867.
    13. Roland G. Fryer, Jr. & Devah Pager & Jörg L. Spenkuch, 2013. "Racial Disparities in Job Finding and Offered Wages," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 56(3), pages 633-689.
    14. Laurent Gobillon & Harris Selod & Yves Zenou, 2007. "The Mechanisms of Spatial Mismatch," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 44(12), pages 2401-2427, November.
    15. Souleymane Mbaye, 2019. "Trois évaluations d’actions de lutte contre les discriminations," Erudite Ph.D Dissertations, Erudite, number ph19-01 edited by Pascale Petit, December.
    16. William J. Collins & Michael Q. Moody, 2017. "Racial Differences in American Women's Labor Market Outcomes: A Long-Run View," NBER Working Papers 23397, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Frijters, Paul & Shields, Michael A. & Theodoropoulos, Nikolaos & Wheatley Price, Stephen, 2003. "Testing for Employee Discrimination Using Matched Employer-Employee Data: Theory and Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 807, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Major G. Coleman & William A. Darity Jr. & Rhonda V. Sharpe, 2008. "Are Reports of Discrimination Valid? Considering the Moral Hazard Effect," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 149-175, April.
    19. Paul Frijters, 2003. "Testing for Employee Discrimination using Matched Employer-Employee Data: Theory and Evidence," Paul Frijters Discussion Papers 2003-1, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology.
    20. Antecol, Heather & Cobb-Clark, Deborah A., 2008. "Racial and ethnic discrimination in local consumer markets: Exploiting the army's procedures for matching personnel to duty locations," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(2), pages 496-509, September.
    21. Linda Barrington & Kenneth R. Troske, 2001. "Workforce Diversity and Productivity: An Analysis of Employer-Employee Match Data," Economics Program Working Papers 01-02, The Conference Board, Economics Program.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:39:y:2002:i:10:p:1793-1818. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.gla.ac.uk/departments/urbanstudiesjournal .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.