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Measuring Racial Discrimination (2004) / Chapter Skim
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PART II: METHODS
Pages 71-76

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From page 71...
... ; · identifying explanatory mechanisms that lead to discriminatory behaviors and institutional processes; · identifying mediating factors and processes that affect observed disparities; · measuring the extent or magnitude of discrimination within a do 71
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From page 72...
... Laboratory experiments are useful for drawing causal inferences at the individual level and important for identifying subtle mechanisms of discrimination; however, they do not directly address disparities in the aggregate. That is, laboratory effects do not often generalize to the broader population and can rarely tell us the extent to which naturally observed disparities are the result of discrimination.
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From page 73...
... Such collections of case studies can produce the kinds of information on underlying behavioral processes needed to draw valid causal inferences, although their results may be limited in generalizability. Longitudinal survey data can be particularly helpful for understanding trends in racial attitudes and reported experiences and perceptions of discrimination and the extent to which racial disparities are a function of discrimination that occurs over time and across domains.
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From page 74...
... In other words, they attempt to answer retrospectively the counterfactual question of whether the outcome for a nonwhite individual would have been different if he or she had been white. In Chapter 5, we discuss how accumulated scientific evidence from both experimental and observational research may support causal conclusions and allow researchers to determine whether racial discrimination contributes causally to an observed racial disparity.
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From page 75...
... We discuss some of the methodological challenges of determining when racial profiling may be occurring, although these challenges are such that we are not able to identify the best measurement approaches.
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Key Terms

  • observational data
  • causal inferences
  • racial disparities
  • laboratory experiments
  • racial attitudes

  • measuring racial
  • reported perceptions
  • natural experiments
  • descriptive analysis
  • administrative records

  • racial disparity
  • statistical models
  • measure racial
  • valid causal
  • disadvantaged racial

  • discriminatory attitudes
  • reported experiences
  • drawing causal
  • draw valid
  • allow researchers

  • discrimination contributes
  • existing disparities
  • racially discriminatory
  • describe issues
  • particularly helpful

  • draw causal
  • observational research
  • provide key
  • underlying statistical
  • primary descriptive


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