Neo classical economists believe that market forces will ultimately lead organizations to stop discriminatory practices while equal opportunity theorists believe that organizations need to take definitive actions such as preferential hiring in order to rid the workplace of discrimination. List the main arguments and critiques of each theoretical viewpoint.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Possible key points from the text: “Neoclassical” economists assume that it is too costly for employers; employers would lose their competitive advantage if they do not utilize the wide range of skills and talents offered by minorities eventually resulting in reduced income for employer; .neoclassical economists generally argue for deregulating the labor market and removing legal and policy restrictions to allow employers to use pure economic principles in their employment decisions.
“equal opportunities” consider institutional and cultural factors as the cause of discrimination. (Groups that have traditionally been discriminated against suffer from three types of interconnected barriers that may perpetuate the discrimination against them. Unlike the neoclassical economists who believe that distributive justice will resolve on its own due to the forces of the market economy, equal opportunities theorists believe that the forces that have originally led to discrimination will also work to preserve it. The main argument of the equal opportunities school of thought is that ending discrimination does not create equal opportunities because women, Blacks, people with disabilities, and other groups that have been discriminated against do not have the same resources available to them as members of the dominant groups.