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Selection Into Mixed Marriages: Evidence From North Carolina, 1894-1906, Matthew T. Gregg

Business Faculty Publications

Using a novel dataset from agricultural censuses and geological sources, I examine the selec- tion into mixed marriages between whites and Cherokee Indians in North Carolina during the late nineteenth century. I find that the well-documented wealth advantage of Cherokee Indian households containing white husbands is driven mostly by positive selection. Thus, once family fixed effects are controlled for, the observed intermarriage premium is completely eliminated. (JEL D03, N31, O12.)