Racial Inequality in France

Yajna Govind, Paolo Santini and Ellora Derenoncourt
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Yajna Govind: Copenhagen Business School
Paolo Santini: Copenhagen Business School
Ellora Derenoncourt: Princeton University and NBER

Working Papers from Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies.

Abstract: We study racial inequality in 21st century France. Using parents’ nationality at birth, we overcome the lack of ethno-racial statistics stemming from the country’s “color-blind†approach. We document substantial earnings penalties for racial minorities along the income distribution. Penalties are larger at the median than the top and for Middle-Eastern and North African (MENA) and Sub-Saharan African origin (Black) individuals. We compare racial inequality in France vs. the U.S. by simulating where French minorities would fall in the U.S. distribution. Black and NonWhite individuals in France benefit from the country’s lower overall inequality, but experience comparable, occasionally larger, rank gaps.

Keywords: France (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 J15 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mid
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pri:cepsud:349

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