Conrad Miller on Affirmative Action and Discrimination

Conrad Miller, Associate Professor of Economic Analysis and Policy at the University of California-Berkley’s Haas School of Business, joins Steven to discuss discrimination and affirmative action. The conversation digs into the methodology and surprising conclusions from four of Dr. Miller’s papers: one that explores federal affirmative action policies in hiring, another that examines how racial composition of a workforce changes absent federal intervention, a third that examines the role of state policy in prolonging gender discrimination in Saudi Arabia, and a fourth that scrutinizes police search data to see whether it is actually possible to strike a balance between effective searches and equitable, nondiscriminatory treatment. These papers collectively illustrate how government policy can be used for good (and bad) in addressing discriminatory hiring practices and beliefs. The Inequality in Perspective segment discusses the legal background and important Supreme Court cases surrounding affirmative action both in employment and higher education.

Outline:

00-28:40 -- Interview

28:41-43:00 -- IIP Segment

Links:

https://www.oyez.org/ (A fantastic database containing summaries and audio from Supreme Court cases going back to 1955)

Teamsters v. United States: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1976/75-636

Connecticut v. Teal: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1981/80-2147

Metro Broadcasting v. Federal Communication Commission: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1989/89-700

Adarand Constructors, Inc. v. Peña: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1994/93-1841

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke: https://www.oyez.org/cases/1979/76-811

Grutter v. Bollinger: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2002/02-241

Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/20-1199

Students for Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina: https://www.oyez.org/cases/2022/21-707