The colour-blind approach to discrimination and inequality: the case of France

Abstract

"The color-blind approach to data collection has long been debated. The lack of ethno-racial information in surveys and administrative data impedes researchers from studying the level of inequality and discrimination against minorities. As an alternative to ethno-racial information, the use of factual information such as parents’ place of birth hasbeen proposed. In this paper, we discuss the color-blind approach in France and review the evidence of discrimination based on origins. Using the Trajectories and Origins survey, we propose a novel index capturing the degree of individuals’ alterity, and we present evidence that it is associated with a penalty in the labor market. Exploiting this index, we further investigate whether information on parents’ place of birth is valuable and adequate to measure population diversity." (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))

Cite article

Govind, Y. & Santini, P. (2024): The colour-blind approach to discrimination and inequality: the case of France. In: Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Vol. 40, No. 3, p. 592-605. DOI:10.1093/oxrep/grae036