A Statistical Analysis of Black-White Performance Differentials of U.S. Military Personnel
Abstract
Research has suggested current civilian black/white wage differentials can be explained primarily by a skill gap. The research also suggests that much of this gap is a result of differences in premarket acquired cognitive skills, rather than innate ability, labor market discrimination, or quantity of education. The first goal of this thesis is to determine whether gaps in military productivity exist and whether they are comparable in size to the civilian wage/productivity gaps. The second goal is to determine whether any gaps in observed military productivity can be explained by acquired cognitive abilities. Following the civilian literature, this thesis uses AFQT to measure the skills of enlistees, and college GPA to measure the skills of officers. Multivariate models are used to analyze black-white performance differences for Navy officers and Marine Corps and Air Force enlisted personnel. The findings indicate that there is a black-white gap in performance of military personnel, although the gap tends to be smaller than civilian wage differences. In addition, acquired skills explain some, but not the majority, of this gap. The relatively weaker relationship between AFQT and productivity in the military is likely to result from selection by the military and self selection by individuals.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1998
- Accession Number
- ADA354975
Entities
People
- James A. Roick
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School