The Challenge of Measuring Discrimination and Overstating Research Findings

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The speakers discuss the difficulty of accurately measuring discrimination and the tendency to overstate research findings. They emphasize the importance of making nuanced statements and the need for better measurements and a serious approach to address issues like affirmative action and racism.

Can economics and better measurement help us understand racial disparities and suggest how to reduce or eliminate them? Economist Roland Fryer of Harvard University believes deeply in the power of data to help us understand how the world works and how we might change it. Listen as he tells EconTalk's Russ Roberts of his devotion to this mission, what he learned from his grandmother, and what colleges can do if they really want to increase minority enrollment.