Publications [#325209] of William A. Darity

Journal Articles

1. Hamilton, D; Darity, WA, The political economy of education, financial literacy, and the racial wealth gap, Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis Review, vol. 99 no. 1 (January, 2017), pp. 59-76, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis [doi]
   (last updated on 2026/01/17)

   Abstract:
   This article examines the mismatch between the political discourse around individual agency, education, and financial literacy, and the actual racial wealth gap. The authors argue that the racial wealth gap is rooted in socioeconomic and political structure barriers rather than a disdain for or underachievement in education or financial literacy on the part of Black Americans, as might be suggested by the conventional wisdom. Also, the article presents a stratification economic lens as an alternative to the conventional wisdom to better understand why the racial wealth gap persists