Organized by Professors Richard H. McAdams and Thomas J. Miles, this conference will explore economic theory and empiricism on race in employment, housing, policing, criminal sentencing, politics, and other areas of public policy concern. Our participants will be nationally prominent economists from law schools, economics departments, and allied fields. Our aim is to provide stronger social science foundations for law and policy affecting or affected by race. The Journal of Legal Studies intends to publish a special symposium issue on this topic for those paper contributions that are approved through peer review.

Conference schedule

Friday, May 14th

9:30-9:45 a.m.

• Dean Michael H. Schill
• Welcome and introduction

9:45-10:45 a.m.

• Nicola Persico, New York University, "Evidence of Discrimination"
• Discussant: Richard McAdams, University of Chicago Law School

10:45-11:45 a.m.

• Richard Brooks, Yale Law School, "Diversity and Perceptions of Racial Justice"
• Discussant: Lee Fennell, University of Chicago Law School

11:45 a.m.-1:15 p.m. - Break

1:15-2:15 p.m.

• Steve Raphael, University of California Berkeley, "The Evolution of Gender Employment Differentials within Racial Groups in the United States"
• Discussant: Derek Neal, University of Chicago

2:15-3:15 p.m.

• Peter Siegelman, University of Connecticut School of Law, "The Compromised Worker and the Limits of Employment Discrimination Law"
• Discussant: Kerwin Charles, Harris School of Public Policy Studies, University of Chicago, and National Bureau of Economic Research

3:15-3:30 p.m. Break

3:30-4:30 p.m.

• Ebonya Washington, Yale University and National Bureau of Economic Research, "The Mythical Tradeoff between Black Representatives and Black Policy Interests"
• Discussant: Adam Cox, University of Chicago Law School

4:30-5:30 p.m.

• Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers, both at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, "Subjective and Objective Indicators of Racial Progress"
• Discussant: Jonathan Masur, University of Chicago Law School

Saturday, May 15th

9:00-10:00 a.m.

• Thomas J. Miles, University of Chicago Law School, "Wiretaps and Race"
• Discussant: Bernard Harcourt, University of Chicago Law School

10:00-11:00 a.m.

• David Abrams, University of Pennsylvania Law School, "Do Judges Vary in Their Treatment of Race?"
• Discussant: Jonathan Guryan, University of Chicago Booth School of Business

11:00-Noon

• Max Schanzenbach, Northwestern University School of Law, "Racial Disparities, Judicial Discretion, and the United States Sentencing Guidelines"
• Discussant: Jens Ludwig, University of Chicago and Co-Director of the University of Chicago Crime Lab

Read abstracts of papers that will be presented at the conference.