Car ownership and the labor market of ethnic minorities

Arbeitspapier

We show how small initial wealth differences between low skilled black and white workers can generate large differences in their labor-market outcomes. This even occurs in the absence of a taste for discrimination against blacks or exogenous differences in the distance to jobs. Because of the initial wealth difference, blacks cannot afford cars while whites can. Car ownership allows whites to reach more jobs per unit of time and this gives them a better bargaining position. As a result, in equilibrium, blacks end up with both higher unemployment rates and lower wages than whites. Furthermore, it takes more time for blacks to reach their jobs even though they travel less miles. Those predictions are consistent with the data. Better access to capital markets or better public transportation will reduce the differences in labor market outcomes.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 3814

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
• Subject: Transportation mismatch ; job search ; spatial labor markets ; multiple job centers ; ethnic minorities ; Arbeitsuche ; Arbeitsmarktdiskriminierung ; Farbige Bevölkerung ; Berufsverkehr ; Kraftfahrzeug ; Vermögensverteilung ; Regionaler Arbeitsmarkt ; USA

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Gautier, Pieter A. ; Zenou, Yves
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2008

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/35695
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-20081127369
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:45 AM CET