A Structural Investigation of Laissez Faire Racism: The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Affirmative Action Bans

Abstract

This dissertation frames affirmative action bans as the policy manifestation of colorblind, laissez faire racism; a term describing the hidden and often unintentional nature of racism. I explore several outcomes of affirmative action bans using difference in differences methodologies to test hypotheses that the racialized control of education ultimately leads to racial inequality in educational outcomes and later life. Chapter 2, “The Affirmative Action Ban Cascade: Where Students Enroll After Affirmative Action Bans,” finds that affirmative action bans have not only displaced underrepresented minority students from the most selective institutions, but they have also created a complex ‘cascade’ effect wherein underrepresented minority students have increasingly enrolled at for-profit colleges. Chapter 3, “The Machinations of Laissez Faire Racism in Action: Differences in Underrepresented Student STEM and non-STEM Degree Attainment in the Wake of Affirmative Action Bans,” finds that underrepresented minority student completion of undergraduate degrees in STEM was impacted more by affirmative action bans than their completion of undergraduate degrees in non-STEM majors. Because a degree in a STEM field is more prestigious and competitive than one in a non-STEM field, this result is consistent with the hypothesis that competition for coveted resources leads to reduced opportunities for underrepresented minority students. Chapter 4, “The Unintended Consequences of Affirmative Action: How Affirmative Action Bans Have Shaped Interracial Marriage,” finds that affirmative action bans have decreased interracial marriage; largely as a result of a decrease in White and Asian intermarriage. Together the chapters of this dissertation examine how laissez faire racism operates through affirmative action bans to produce racial inequality.