Early Exposure to Economic Thinking and Racial Perceptions

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The speaker had early creative friction with their grandmother due to their economic thinking, questioning the practicality of searching for cheaper gas. They grew up surrounded by older black women discussing race in America, which influenced their view that the world is rampantly racist, and they adopted their grandmother's ability to spot racists on sight.

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.