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Racial and ethnic inequality in Latin America

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  • Telles, Edward E.
  • Bailey, Stanley R.
  • Davoudpour, Shahin
  • Freeman, Nicholas C.

Abstract

This chapter examines socioeconomic inequality in Latin America through the lens of race and ethnicity. We primarily use national census data from the International Public Use Micro Data Sample (IPUMS). Since censuses use inconsistent measures of race and ethnicity, we also draw on two additional measures from the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP). Unlike censuses, LAPOP data offer a more consistent ethnoracial scheme across countries and a unique interviewer-rated skin color measure. Our study shows that black and indigenous populations and those with darker skin color experience educational, income, and occupational disadvantages, even after controlling for their social origins. However, inequality and hierarchical ordering of Afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, mestizos, whites, and others vary across countries. We include an extended examination of educational inequality in Brazil, the region’s largest country. The chapter concludes with an exploration of public policy approaches to address black and indigenous disadvantage across Latin America while also highlighting the case of Brazil, where targeted antiracism policy is most advanced.

Suggested Citation

  • Telles, Edward E. & Bailey, Stanley R. & Davoudpour, Shahin & Freeman, Nicholas C., 2023. "Racial and ethnic inequality in Latin America," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 120677, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:120677
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    File URL: https://eprints.lse.ac.uk/120677/
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Edward Telles & Nelson Lim, 1998. "Does it matter who answers the race question? Racial classification and income inequality in Brazil," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 35(4), pages 465-474, November.
    2. Eva O. Arceo-Gomez & Raymundo M. Campos-Vazquez, 2014. "Race and Marriage in the Labor Market: A Discrimination Correspondence Study in a Developing Country," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(5), pages 376-380, May.
    3. Breton, Theodore R., 2011. "The quality vs. the quantity of schooling: What drives economic growth?," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 765-773, August.
    4. Alan S. Blinder, 1973. "Wage Discrimination: Reduced Form and Structural Estimates," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 8(4), pages 436-455.
    5. Luis F. Lopez-Calva & Harry A. Patrinos, 2015. "Exploring the Differential Impact of Public Interventions on Indigenous People: Lessons from Mexico's Conditional Cash Transfer Program," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(3), pages 452-467, August.
    6. Loveman, Mara, 2014. "National Colors: Racial Classification and the State in Latin America," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199337361.
    7. Sandra García & Juan Saavedra, 2017. "Educational Impacts and Cost-Effectiveness of Conditional Cash Transfer Programs in Developing Countries: A Meta-Analysis," NBER Working Papers 23594, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    Cited by:

    1. Inés Berniell & Raquel Fernández & Sonya Krutikova, 2024. "Gender Inequality in Latin America," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0338, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.

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    JEL classification:

    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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