Race as a Bundle of Sticks: Designs that Estimate Effects of Seemingly Immutable Characteristics
Open accessAbstract
Although understanding the role of race, ethnicity, and identity is central to political science, methodological debates persist about whether it is possible to estimate the effect of something immutable. At the heart of the debate is an older theoretical question: Is race best understood under an essentialist or constructivist framework? In contrast to the “immutable characteristics” or essentialist approach, we argue that race should be operationalized as a “bundle of sticks” that can be disaggregated into elements. With elements of race, causal claims may be possible using two designs: (a) studies that measure the effect of exposure to a racial cue and (b) studies that exploit within-group variation to measure the effect of some manipulable element. These designs can reconcile scholarship on race and causation and offer a clear framework for future research.
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Sen and Wasow's bundle of sticks framework theorizes race as a composite variable that can be disaggregated into constitutive elements, some of which can be manipulated.
“Sen and Wasow's 'bundle of sticks' framework theorizes race as a composite variable that can be disaggregated into constitutive elements, some of which can be manipulated [109].”
From Towards a critical race methodology in algorithmic fairness (2020) · cites this paper as [109]
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“Sen andWasow’s ’bundle of sticks’ framework theorizes race as a composite variable that can be disaggregated into constitutive elements, some of which can be manipulated [109].”
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- Authors
- Sen, M., & Wasow, O.
- Affiliations
- Harvard University (US)
- Princeton University (US)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Annual Review of Political Science
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2016-05-11
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 499-522
- ISSN
- 1094-2939 (ISSN-L)
- 1545-1577
- OpenAlex
- W2162068690
- Cited by
- 422
- References
- 12
- Citations by year
- 2026: 35 · 2025: 58 · 2024: 52 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 71 · 2021: 49 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 33 · 2018: 15 · 2017: 19 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 2
- FWCI
- 29.77
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Annual Review of Political Science (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Science Research and Education
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
- Keywords
- race, ethnicity, racial identity, essentialism, constructivism, racial cues, within-group variation, causal inference, racial inequality
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