Discrimination and Skill Differences in an Equilibrium Search Model

We analyze an equilibrium search model with three sources for wage and unemployment differentials among workers with the same (observed) human capital but different appearance (race): unobserved productivity, search intensities, and discrimination due to an appearance-based employer disutility factor. We show that the structural parameters are identified using labor market survey data. Estimation results for a black and white high school graduate sample imply: black productivity is 3.3% lower than white productivity; the employer's disutility factor is 31% of the white's productivity level; and 56% of firms have a disutility factor toward blacks. Copyright 2002 by the Economics Department of the University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association