2006-2007 Dissertation Fellows

Ronald Caldwell

Ronald C. Caldwell Jr is a PhD Candidate in Economics and Master’s student in the Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program (PORPP) at the University of Washington. His current poverty related research focuses on the causes of differences in skill acquisition between minority and white children and their impact on wage and income inequality.

Working Papers:

"The Effects of Affirmative Action Policies in University Admissions on Human Capital Development of Minority Children: a Test of the Expectations Hypothesis."

"The Economics of Smoking Cessation: An Economic Simulation Model Comparing the Costs and Benefits Associated with Standard Cessation Methods."

WCPC Funded Project:

Ronald C. Caldwell Jr., Department of Economics, "The Effects of Affirmative Action Policies in University Admissions on Human Capital Development of Minority Children: A Test of the Expectations Hypothesis" Faculty Supervisor Shelley Lundberg, Department of Economics.

It has been well documented that minority children leave primary school with lower acquired skill levels than their white counterparts. The causes of this “skill gap”, however, are not entirely known. This paper attempts to analyze one possible cause: the impact of perceived labor market discrimination on human capital investment decisions by minority parents and children. Using the recent changes in affirmative action laws regarding university admissions in California and Texas and NLSY79 data, we employ a difference-in-difference–in-difference methodology to test for changes in achievement test scores among minority children between the ages of 7 and 14. The results show a large, highly significant drop in minority test scores among thirteen and fourteen year old African-Americans and Hispanics in the affected states. Younger age groups show negative, but insignificant effects. These results suggest that expectations do play a role in human capital investment of minority children and that further research in this area may be warranted.