Insidious racism and institutional constraints: evidence from national and local case studies in the United States

This article examines the interactive relationship between insidious racists and institutions designed to curb their behavior. Insidious racists are defined as those who consciously hold racist beliefs, engage in intentional acts of racism, yet value not being perceived as racist. The article presents a framework for understanding the institutional constraints associated with addressing insidious racism, applying it to national and local case studies. The national case study analyzes how institutional constraints allowed loan officers to engage in racist actions leading to the Great Recession. The local case study analyzes institutional constraints that led to racist redistricting efforts in Los Angeles. The findings demonstrate that institutional design and administrator ideologies determine the prevalence of insidious racism.

Kendrick B. Roberson