Eight states have now formally banned affirmative action, prohibiting the use of race in the evaluation of college applicants. A new study by Southern Methodist University’s Dominique Baker set out to understand the political, social, and economic climate of those states prior to ban adoption.

Baker joins Marybeth Gasman, director of the Penn Center for Minority-Serving Institutions, to discuss her findings, their potential implications, and the impacts affirmative action bans can have on diversity, equity, and college admissions.

Featured research: Baker, Dominique J. “Pathways to Racial Equity in Higher Education: Modeling the Antecedents of State Affirmative Action Bans.” American Educational Research Journal 56, no. 5 (October 2019): 1861–95.