SGER: Annual Income, Hourly Wages, and Identity Formation Among Latinos

这项探索性研究探讨了西班牙裔美国人中替代种族身份规范的经济激励因素，特别关注墨西哥血统的人。该理论模型有两个纯粹的规范：一个是文化适应主义规范，一个是种族认同规范。如果一种文化同化主义的规范占上风，西班牙裔将作为非西班牙裔白人融入美国社会，在劳动力市场上不会面临持续的种族歧视。如果种族认同规范占上风，西班牙裔将发展出一种独特的种族认同，即，既不是黑人也不是白色，在劳动力市场上面临持续的种族歧视。经验评估表明，一种文化适应主义的规范可能会在墨西哥裔和古巴裔美国人中盛行。因此，西班牙裔美国人，特别是墨西哥和古巴血统的人，但波多黎各人则不那么如此，能够通过放弃独特的西班牙裔种族身份并融入非西班牙裔白色种族身份来增加收入年收入和小时工资。然而，无论是放弃西班牙语还是放弃一个特定的西班牙裔种族自我认同，都不足以克服与深色肤色和非欧洲表型相关的惩罚。这是一项独特的研究。许多经济学研究已经研究了种族对经济结果的影响，但以前没有研究将种族认同的形成作为一个经济变量，即，来探讨种族认同是内生的这一论点。

This exploratory research examines economic incentives for alternative racial identity norms among Hispanic Americans, with a special focus on persons of Mexican descent. The theoretical model has two pure norms: an acculturationist norm and a racial identity norm. If an acculturationist norm prevails Hispanics will acculturate into American society as Non-Hispanic whites and will not face persistent racial discrimination in the labor market. If a racial identity norm prevails Hispanic will develop a unique race identity, i.e., neither black nor white, and face persistent racial discrimination in the labor market. Empirical evaluation suggests that an acculturationist norm will likely prevail among Mexican and Cuban Americans. Accordingly, Hispanic Americans, especially persons of Mexican and Cuban descent but less so Puerto Ricans, are able to increase income annual income and hourly wages by abandoning a unique Hispanic racial identity and acculturating into a Non-Hispanic white racial identity. However, neither the abandonment of Spanish nor the abandonment of a specifically Hispanic racial self-identity is sufficient to overcome the penalties associated with having a dark complexion and Non-European phenotype. This is a unique study. Many economic studies have examined the impact on race on economic outcomes but no previous study has examined the formation of racial identity as an economic variable, i.e., to explore the thesis that racial identity is endogenous.