Friday, May 29, 2009

Identity Politics and Disparate Impact

Writing in The National Journal, Stuart Taylor has a thoughtful piece on Judge Sonia Sotomayor, identity politics, and the issue of disparate impact. An excerpt:


The disparate-impact dynamic has the benefit of expanding opportunities for preferred minorities. But it also has great costs. It is unjust to high-scoring white and Asian workers; it has greatly eroded the anti-discrimination principle; and it downgrades incentives for students and workers to study and learn -- both in school and in rigorous test-preparation courses such as the one that helped some New Haven firefighters improve their skills and do well on the test.

[HT: Real Clear Politics ]

No comments: