Ideology, Government, and the American Dilemma
Working Paper No. 04-W11
Robert A. Margo
ABSTRACT [article]
This essay, written in honor of the economic historian Robert Higgs, surveys the economic history of African Americans from the end of slavery to the present day. This history, I argue, was largely one of convergence. However, convergence was not continuous but, rather, was punctuated by discontinuous changes in relative black status. Both ideology B prevailing views about race B and government played key roles in making change discontinuous.
JEL Classification Number: J15, N11, N12