FOCUS
How do inequalities of the past maintain inequality in the present (and future)? What can we do to disrupt this pattern and build a more equitable tomorrow? To address these questions, Manuel investigates how racial and economic inequality influences health, decision-making, self-perception, policy preferences, and beliefs about success and deservingness. He focuses on topics at the individual level, such as investigating the psychological roots of the socioeconomic-health gradient (i.e., as socioeconomic status increases, health improves). He also focuses on topics at the group level, such as how geographic differences in historic racism predict ongoing racial discrimination, implicit bias, and racial health disparities across the United States. Manuel aspires to inform evidence-based interventions and policy decisions with his research.
MORE ABOUT MANUEL
Manuel grew up and worked as a public school science teacher in highly unequal Hispanic communities in Texas. His formative experiences with friends, family, and students instilled a life-long pursuit to understand the causes of social problems in unequal environments and seek ways to address these problems.
DISSERTATION GRANT AWARDEE — WINTER 2024
Understanding the Distribution of Anti-Black Discrimination: A Study of Hiring, Housing, Judicial Decisions, and Policy Beliefs
Is anti-Black discrimination concentrated among a discriminatory few or widespread across many decision-makers? This paper takes a multi-method approach to understand the distribution of discrimination in several contexts and understand how perceptions of the distribution of discrimination are linked to policy beliefs. The findings suggest that discrimination is not concentrated in the behaviors of a few highly biased individuals.
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