Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in Local Consumer Markets: Exploiting the Army’s Procedures for Matching Personnel to Duty Locations

Heather Antecol () and Deborah Cobb-Clark
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Heather Antecol: Claremont McKenna College

No 2389, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: We use the exogenous assignment of Army personnel to duty locations to analyze the relationship between the characteristics of local markets and the propensity for consumers to be subjected to racial discrimination in their everyday commercial transactions. Overall, one in ten soldiers report that they or their families have experienced racial discrimination in finding non-government housing or in patronizing businesses in their local communities. Discrimination is related to a community’s demographic profile with white and Asian soldiers feeling more unwelcome in local businesses as the local population becomes more heavily weighted towards other groups. Moreover, there is evidence that increased economic vulnerability in the community results in more housing discrimination amongst minorities. While the evidence that increased competition reduces consumer market discrimination is mixed, it is clear that discrimination is related to the nature of a soldier’s interaction with the local community.

Keywords: discrimination; U.S. military; economics of minorities; consumer markets (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 D40 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 45 pages
Date: 2006-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mkt, nep-sea and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

Published - published in: Journal of Urban Economics, 2008, 64(2), 496-509

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Related works:
Journal Article: Racial and ethnic discrimination in local consumer markets: Exploiting the army's procedures for matching personnel to duty locations (2008)
Working Paper: Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in Local Consumer Markets: Exploiting the Army’s Procedures for Matching Personnel to Duty Locations (2006)
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