Beyond Appearance: The Socioeconomic and Historical Roots of Racial Identity in Brazil

Diogo Baerlocher (), Renata Caldas () and Francisco Cavalcanti ()
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Diogo Baerlocher: Department of Economics, University of South Florida
Renata Caldas: Department of Economics, University of South Florida
Francisco Cavalcanti: Department of Economics, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

No 2026-01, Working Papers from University of South Florida, Department of Economics

Abstract: Using machine learning-based facial analysis and data on approximately 520,000 candidates for local office in Brazil, we study how self-reported racial identity relates to phenotypic appearance, socioeconomic characteristics, and local social context. A Shapley-Owen decomposition reveals that municipality fixed effects explain more variation in self-reported race than appearance, and their relative importance rises sharply among individuals with racially ambiguous phenotypes. Socioeconomic factors such as education exhibit "social whitening" effects concentrated among ambiguous individuals. Local social context has deep historical roots: areas with higher slave population shares in 1872 exhibit stronger norms favoring white self-identification, especially among the phenotypically ambiguous. A mediation analysis reveals that contemporary racial composition---but not economic channels---accounts for a substantial share of this association.

Keywords: Racial Classification; Social Identity; Phenotypic Appearance; Historical Legacy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 N36 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-01, Revised 2026-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev and nep-mid
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