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Reparations and Persistent Racial Wealth Gaps

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  • Job Boerma
  • Loukas Karabarbounis

Abstract

We analyze the magnitude and persistence of the racial wealth gap using a long-run model of heterogeneous dynasties with an occupational choice and bequests. Our innovation is to introduce endogenous beliefs about risky returns, reflecting differences in dynasties' investment experiences over time. Feeding the exclusion of Black dynasties from labor and capital markets into the model as the only driving force, we find that the model quantitatively reproduces current and historical racial gaps in wealth, income, entrepreneurship, mobility, and beliefs about risky returns. We explore how the future trajectory of the racial wealth gap might change in response to various policies. Wealth transfers to all Black dynasties that eliminate the average wealth gap today do not lead to long-run wealth convergence. The logic is that centuries-long exclusions lead Black dynasties to hold pessimistic beliefs about risky returns and to forgo investment opportunities after the wealth transfer. Investment subsidies toward Black entrepreneurs are more effective than wealth transfers in permanently eliminating the racial wealth gap.

Suggested Citation

  • Job Boerma & Loukas Karabarbounis, 2021. "Reparations and Persistent Racial Wealth Gaps," NBER Working Papers 28468, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:28468
    Note: EFG LS PE POL PR
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    Cited by:

    1. Ellora Derenoncourt & Chi Hyun Kim & Moritz Kuhn & Moritz Schularick, 2023. "Unemployment Risk, Portfolio Choice, and the Racial Wealth Gap," Working Papers 332, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    2. Guanyi Yang & Srinivasan Murali, 2024. "Macroeconomics of Racial Disparities: Discrimination, Labor Market, and Wealth," Papers 2412.00615, arXiv.org, revised May 2025.
    3. Dossche, Maarten & Kolndrekaj, Aleksandra & Propst, Maximilian & Ramos Perez, Javier & Slacalek, Jiri & Vegh, Marton, 2024. "Immigration and the distribution of income, consumption and wealth in the euro area: Implications for economic policies," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 46(5), pages 867-886.
    4. Alina K. Bartscher & Moritz Kuhn & Moritz Schularick & Paul Wachtel, 2022. "Monetary Policy and Racial Inequality," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 53(1 (Spring), pages 1-63.
    5. Katya Kartashova & Xiaoqing Zhou, 2021. "Wealth Inequality and Return Heterogeneity During the COVID-19 Pandemic," Working Papers 2114, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    6. Jean-Felix Brouillette & Charles I. Jones & Peter J. Klenow, 2021. "Race and Economic Well-Being in the United States," NBER Working Papers 29539, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Eden, Maya, 2023. "Quantifying racial discrimination in the 1944 G.I. bill," Explorations in Economic History, Elsevier, vol. 90(C).
    8. Ewens, Michael, 2022. "Race and Gender in Entrepreneurial Finance," SocArXiv djf8z, Center for Open Science.
    9. Tan, Eugene & Zeida, Teegawende H., 2024. "Consumer demand and credit supply as barriers to growth for Black-owned startups," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    10. Arlen Guarin & Juliana Londoño-Vélez & Christian Posso, 2023. "Reparations as Development? Evidence from Victims of the Colombian Armed Conflict," Borradores de Economia 1236, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    11. Victoria Gregory & Julian Kozlowski & Hannah Rubinton, 2022. "The Impact of Racial Segregation on College Attainment in Spatial Equilibrium," Working Papers 2022-036, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, revised 27 Nov 2024.
    12. Dossche, Maarten & Kolndrekaj, Aleksandra & Propst, Maximilian & Ramos Perez, Javier & Slacalek, Jiri, 2022. "Immigrants and the distribution of income and wealth in the euro area: first facts and implications for monetary policy," Working Paper Series 2719, European Central Bank.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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