Chika Okafor

Seeing Through Color Blindness: Social Networks as a Mechanism for Discrimination | The Journal of Law and Economics: Vol 68, No 3 Abstract I study labor markets in which firms both hire via referrals and are race blind or color-blind. I develop an employment model showing that despite initial equality in ability, employment, wag...

📄 For those interested in the full research, my peer-reviewed article is here: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...

This isn't about bad intentions. It's about math.

Where networks matter most—hiring, admissions, promotions—colorblind rules still reproduce inequality.

My research shows why “colorblind” policies don’t actually produce fairness — a dynamic I call social network discrimination:

1️⃣ Smaller groups form fewer ties, all else being equal
2️⃣ Networks amplify majority advantage
3️⃣ Fewer opportunities follow"

Chika Okafor: The myth of colorblind fairness New economic research shows that even under fully colorblind hiring and admissions policies, outcomes over time would not be fair.

Honored to share my op-ed in the @chicagotribune.com: “The Myth of Colorblind Fairness.”

👉 www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/28/o...

Minority groups receive fewer opportunities at work, despite ‘colorblind’ argument Research highlights the important role of social networks in the labor markets

Research by @drchikaokafor.bsky.social finds that minority groups receive fewer economic & social opportunities at work, even under “colorblind” policies. The research challenges assumptions that race-neutral approaches ensure fairness in professional settings. spr.ly/63326ATd7g

YouTube video by Research Lab Social Network Discrimination (explainer video)

Explainer video of social network discrimination: www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JqO...

Minority groups receive fewer economic and social opportunities at work, despite ‘colorblind’ argument Research highlights the important role of social networks in the labor markets

Northwestern University press release: news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025...

This finding has major implications for post-affirmative action diversity policies and our understanding of what truly constitutes merit-based systems.

The reason is "social network discrimination"—a phenomenon I uncover in which minority groups receive fewer opportunities simply because their social group is smaller, even when everything else is equal.

No—as my research discovers.

Picture three employees at a networking event with job applicants. Everything is equal—same qualifications, same employment levels, no bias. But by the end, minority applicants receive fewer than 30% of the job referrals despite being over 33% of the group.

Imagine a world that is both fully equal and fully colorblind—satisfying the vision of both the political left and political right. Would outcomes between majority and minority groups remain fair over time?

Seeing Through Color Blindness: Social Networks as a Mechanism for Discrimination | The Journal of Law and Economics: Vol 68, No 3 Abstract I study labor markets in which firms both hire via referrals and are race blind or color-blind. I develop an employment model showing that despite initial equality in ability, employment, wages, and network structure, minorities receive disproportionately fewer jobs through referrals and lower expected wages, simply because their social group is smaller. This discriminatory outcome, which I term “social network discrimination,” arises from homophily and falls outside the dominant economics discrimination models, which are taste based and statistical. I calibrate the model using a nationally representative sample of youth networks to estimate the lower bound welfare gap caused by social network discrimination, which also disadvantages black workers. This paper isolates a potential underlying mechanism for inequality, adding to the understanding of labor-market disparities that have been widely studied across the social sciences. In doing so, the paper disproves the proposition that color-blind policies inherently promote individual merit.

🚨🚨🚨 My new research, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Law and Economics, challenges core assumptions about diversity and merit.

Full paper: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/...

@ipratnu.bsky.social

#econsky #lawsky #blacksky

Northwestern University "N" logo

🚨 I am hiring a Predoctoral Research Fellow to join me at Northwestern University! 🚨

You'll work on cutting-edge research at the intersection of economics, law, and public policy.

Apply now (decisions are rolling)

Details here: tinyurl.com/NU-predoc

#econ_ra #predoc #econsky

The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend itself In troubled times, one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s most powerful lines may seem passive or even naive. But it’s a call to action.

Given the gravity of today, I republished my reflections on MLK, his legacy, and what it means for us in these times: thefulcrum.us/bridging-com...

#MLK #Blacksky

How Silicon Valley Monopolized Our Imagination Podcast Episode · Machines Like Us · 2024-12-03 · 46m

Over the past few years I've had the chance to have podcast conversations about technology and democracy with 70+ people that I respect and admire. This week's episode with @ruha9.bsky.social, on how she thinks about AI and imagining the future, may be my favorite. podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/m...

LinkedOut? A Field Experiment on Discrimination in Job Network Formation* Abstract. We assess the impact of discrimination on Black individuals’ job networks across the U.S. using a two-stage field experiment with 400+ fictitious

Recently accepted by #QJE, “LinkedOut? A Field Experiment on Discrimination in Job Network Formation,” by Evsyukova (@yuliaevsyukova.bsky.social), Rusche (@felixrusche.bsky.social), and Mill (@econmill.bsky.social): doi.org/10.1093/qje/...

Building the Next Pro-Life Movement The dangers of climate change are more acknowledged today than ever before. But that is not enough.

My past @newsweek.com op-ed proposed a path forward on climate change that leverages its congruence with core Christian values. But this approach fails if too many Christians disavow Christian values.... My op-ed is here: www.newsweek.com/building-nex...

#climatesky #energysky #politics #greensky

"...multiple pastors had told him they would quote the Sermon on the Mount.... Someone would come up after the service and ask, 'Where did you get those liberal talking points?'...'When we get to the point where the teachings of Jesus himself are seen as subversive to us, then we’re in a crisis.'"

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One thing I think people talking about the threat of authoritarian creep have gotten, if not exactly wrong, not quite right either is to frame discussion in terms of various European precedents.

Those are relevant to be sure, but we also have an American precedent - namely the South before 1965.

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‘Okafor chose climate change for the third and final chapter, and the focus of his time at Radcliffe, because it’s “the 800-pound gorilla in the room that will make just about every index of inequality wider and significantly impact the people who are already most’ vulnerable in our society.”

What If We’re Telling the Wrong Story about Climate Change? | Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University Chika Okafor’s research merges economics with educational psychology to understand how the methods we use to communicate about important issues influence public action.

@chikaokafor.bsky.social
I like your perspectives.
I think Herman dally(RIP) did a lot of work on ecological economics, which I wondered would if it align.

www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/news-and-ide...

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My deepest condolences Tiffany. Sending love and strength to you and your family during this difficult period.

Holy Cow! This paper sounds...big! #EconSky

"The information resulted in changes to property prices and altered the market's hedonic equilibrium, providing a new finding that climate adaptation can be forward-thinking and proactive."

www.nber.org/papers/w33119

Are we in the long or longer run? EPISODE 4: Jonathan and I speak to Belinda Archibong about the legacies of colonial institutions, the potential of AI in addressing gender gaps, and why Africa is

Happy to see everyone here. If you're interested in the effects of colonialism, climate change, tech for gender equality in labor markets, and why US policy should care about Africa (aka my research interests), check out my recent conversation with Johan Fourie: www.ourlongwalk.com/p/are-we-in-...

In this paper we establish a causal connection between two of the most salient social developments in the United States over the past decades: the opioid epidemic and the rise in partisanship and polarization. Drawing on unsealed records from litigation against Purdue Pharma, we uncover rich geographic variation in the marketing of prescription opioids that serves as a quasi-exogenous source of exposure to the epidemic. We use this variation to document significant increases in drug-related mortality and greater reliance on public transfer programs. This induced economic hardship led to substantial changes in the political landscape of those communities most affected by the opioid epidemic. We estimate that from the mid-2000s to 2020, exposure to the opioid epidemic continuously increased the Republican vote share in House, presidential, and gubernatorial elections. By the 2020 House elections, a one-standard-deviation increase in our measure of exposure led to a 4.6 percentage point increase in the Republican vote share. This higher vote share in the House translated into Republicans winning additional seats from 2012 until 2020.

Really important new work by Carolina Arteaga and Victoria Barone on how the opioid epidemic fueled support for Republicans, identified off of geographic variation in initial Oxycontin marketing exposure.

viquibarone.github.io/baronevictor...