Testing the Diversity Rationale with Jonathan Masur

In the second episode of their series on affirmative action, Elise and Hannah sit down with Professor Jonathan Masur of the University of Chicago Law School to discuss his study "Assessing Affirmative Action's Diversity Rationale," written with Professors Justin Driver, Kyle Rozema, and Adam Chilton. The study analyzed how citations to law review journals changed in the years after implementing a diversity policy as a microcosm to empirically measure the impact of diversity in higher education. Listen to the episode to hear more about their findings and the study's relevance to the cultural and social debate around affirmative action.

Mentioned in this episode:

"Assessing Affirmative Action's Diversity Rationale"

DeFungis v. Odegaard (1974)

Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) and Gratz v. Bollinger (2003)

Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007)

Further reading:

The New York Times: "As Harvard Case Looms at Supreme Court, Study Tests Value of Diversity"

The Atlantic: "Why Sandra Day O'Connor Saved Affirmative Action"

NPR: "Two Justices Debate The Doctrine of Colorblindness"