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Description

Although national reparation programs have not gained significant traction in the United States, recent local reparation programs provide a promising opportunity for further research of the impact of reparative policy. The literature on reparation programs largely focuses on proving or disproving whether reparation programs have any historical significance, legality, or impact at all. A policy brief from the Urban Institute titled “Justice, Equity, and Repair: How Local Governments in the US Are Designing Reparations Programs” and research published by Duke University Scholar William Darity Jr. exemplify some studies on how the history of slavery, redlining, voter suppression, and mass incarceration have perpetuated racial disparities and calls for reparations for the black community. This research design aims to address the gap by examining whether local reparation initiatives in four United States municipalities contribute to closing the racial wealth gap and measuring what the impact is. This research will explore these reparation programs by using quantitative data and regression analysis to create synthetic control methods to model the impact. This research is essential to establish the stark differences in income and poverty between black and white Americans. Moreover, the results will uncover to what effect reparations effectively repair and address the black community needs.

Publication Date

4-1-2025

Keywords

local reparations programs, racial wealth gap, synthetic control methods, quantitative analysis, income disparities, poverty disparities, reparative policy, racial justice, economic equity, historical injustices, slavery, redlining, voter suppression, mass incarceration, policy evaluation, municipal initiatives

Reparative Impact in United States Municipalities

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