Black Education, Earnings, and Interregional Migration: Some New Evidence. Discussion Papers No. 87-70.

Studies using 1960 Census data found that Black returns to education are erratic and much lower than for whites even when some correction is made for their region of birth. The weak effect of education on black income might be attributed to the alleged low quality of Negro education provided in parts of the South. The 1967 Survey of Economic Opportunity made it possible to re-examine the education-income relation for a more recent period of labor market experience. The sample consisted of a Current Population Survey for 1967 augmented by a special sample drawn from low-income areas. Among other questions, respondents surveyed were asked their place of residence at age 16. The answer should offer a excellent proxy for geographic source of education. Part 1 of this report is an"Introduction'. Part 2 builds upon the earlier earnings functions studies using later data and introduces the improved region of education variables. In Part 3, Markov techniques are used to project the black male labor force by region, age and education over the period 1967-68. Then 1967 incomes are applied to these labor-force figures to estimate the expected path of black income and poverty experience over the next two decades. Finally, some conclusions are presented in Part 4. (Author/JM)