The Economics of Structural Racism: Stratification Economics and US Labor Markets

Patrick L. Mason’s The Economics of Structural Racism is a comprehensive exploration of persistent racial disparities in the United States resulting from structural racism. Mason begins by examining the economics of racial identity, mechanisms of stratification, and regimes of structural racism. He analyzes trends in racial inequality in education and changes in family structure since the demise of Jim Crow. He also examines generational trends in income, wealth, and employment for families and individuals by race, gender, and national region. Mason explores economic differences among African Americans by region, ethnicity, nativity, gender, and racial identity. Next he engages in a theoretical analysis of structural racism, productivity, and wages, with a special focus on the role of managers and instrumental discrimination inside firms. Mason concludes with an investigation of instrumental discrimination, hate crimes, the criminal legal system, and the impact of mass incarceration on family structure and economic inequality.