Discrimination has long been a central topic in the study of labour markets and economic behaviour, with economists attempting to understand not only its moral and social implications but also its economic causes and consequences. At its core, the economics of discrimination explores how differences in treatment based on race, gender, ethnicity, or other characteristics affect employment, wages, and productivity, and how market forces interact with these behaviours. The field was first formalised in Gary Becker’s The Economics of Discrimination (1957), which applied the tools of microeconomics to the question of why discrimination persists and under what conditions it might diminish. Later contributions, including those of Thomas Sowell, further investigated the incentives shaping discriminatory practices and the economic outcomes across different groups.
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