Does it matter who answers the race question? Racial classification and income inequality in Brazil.
Previous studies of racial inequality have relied on official statistics that presumably use self-classification of race. Using novel data from a 1995 national survey in Brazil, we find that the estimates of racial income inequality based on self-classification are lower than those based on interviewer classification. After human capital and labor market controls, whites earn 26% more than browns with interviewer classification but earn only 17% more than browns with self-classification. Black-brown differences hardly change: Blacks earn 13% and 12% less than browns with interviewer classification and self-classification, respectively. We contend that interviewer classification of race is more appropriate because analysts of racial inequality are interested in the effects of racial discrimination, which depends on how others classify one's race.
Telles
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Ford Foundation, Rio de Janeiro Office, New York, NY 10017, USA. e.telles@fordfound.org
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D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015982:Bias; D044383:Black People; D001938:Brazil; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D011287:Prejudice; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000145:classification*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012923:Social Class; D014505:Urban Population / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D044465:White People / Q000145:classification* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data