 Paperback cover (1975) | |
| Author | Thomas Sowell |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Publisher | David McKay Company |
Publication date | 1975 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 276(paperback) |
| ISBN | 0-679-30262-X |
| OCLC | 909822366 |
| 330.9/73 | |
| LC Class | 74019982 |
| Preceded by | Say's Law: A Historical Analysis |
| Followed by | Knowledge and Decisions |
Race and Economics is a book byThomas Sowell, in which the author analyzes the relationship betweenrace andwealth in the United States, specifically contrasting groups likeAfrican Americans,Caribbean Americans,Italian Americans, andJapanese Americans. The book was initially published byDavid McKay Company in 1975 and reprinted byLongman in 1977 and 1982.[1]
The book was praised byElliott Abrams andJames Tobin, and U.S. Supreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas cited the book as a major influence.
Sowell makes three basic arguments. First, he examines the economic impact ofslavery, in the United States, theWest Indies, and elsewhere. He distinguishes rural slavery from urban slavery, and circumstances in which blacks so predominated that many economic tasks fell to them of necessity, from circumstances in which blacks were punished for initiative and the development of skills.[2]: 6–7
Next, he compares the economic skills, circumstances, and successes ofAmerican blacks,West Indian blacks,Puerto Ricans,Mexicans,Jews,Irish,Italians,Scottish, and otherethnic groups.[2]: 67, 77, 80, 100, 102, 108 [3]: 1126 He notes statistical quirks;e.g., comparisons of per capita income need to be checked against the median age of the groups concerned. The median age ofRussians in the U.S. at the time of the book's publishing (1975) was 47, of the Irish 36, of blacks 23, of Puerto Ricans, 18.[2]: 150 Income tends to be higher in higher age cohorts; and unemployment tends to be higher in lower cohorts. If one matches age cohort to age cohort—those in their twenties, in their thirties, in their forties, etc., comparisons are considerably more just.
He also argues that the stark comparisons between white and black people are misleading, for instance, as reviewed by theAmerican Journal of Sociology: "...income from nonlabor sources is grossly underrported and is also concentrated among wealthy whites."[3]: 1127 Nancy J. Weiss, history professor atPrinceton University, also analyzed Sowell's contrast between ethnic groups: "...those who castigate blacks and Puerto Ricans for failing to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps in the manner of Irish or Jewish immigrants of the last century are ignoring a whole complex of cultural and economic factors that need to be understood in historical perspective."[4]: 682
His third argument criticizes past governmental and economic policies, and opens up questions for the future. He has criticisms to make ofliberals,radicals, andconservatives, each of whom, he finds, protect their favorite illusions with respect to blacks.[2]: 225 [5]: 1392 In conclusion, Sowell finds that ethnic groups that emphasize individualism, economic assimilation with mainstream society, and emphasis on self-reliance over political power are more successful.[5]: 1392
In a 1977 review for theJournal of Economic Literature,Yale University professorJames Tobin had a mixed review, praising the "great deal of wisdom" while criticizing "the long historical view and dispassionate analytical approach".[5]: 1393 Tobin was complimentary of the book's "disposing of the crude ideologies of exploitation and discrimination" while questioning Sowell's "confidence in the benign outcomes of unfettered markets and social adaptation".[5]: 1393–1394
For theAmerican Journal of Sociology,Hofstra University professor Lynn Turgeon called the book "stimulating" and Sowell "a brilliant purveyor of unfashionable economic ideas associated with theChicago School."[3]: 1126
Reviewing the book forCommentary in 1975,Elliott Abrams considered it "extremely useful" for "apply[ing] logic and economic analysis to group history" and "defy[ing] the conventional wisdom".[6]}: 93 Allan C. Brownfield called the book "eloquent and honest" in 1976 forThe Freeman.[7]: 186
Race and Economics greatly influencedSupreme Court JusticeClarence Thomas.[8]