人種格差是正指標における「制度的レイシズム」

—批判的人種理論と政策の窓モデルによる解釈—

抄録

This study takes the introduction of the racial disparity remediation indicators in the performance funding (PF) policy of the Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) as a case study. It analyzes the policy process of rearticulating racial disparity remediation indicators at the only Historically Black University (HBCU) in PASSHE using a policy window model, and interprets the structure of the policy process revealed in the analysis with critical race theory (CRT) that incorporates hegemonic whiteness. The purpose of this study is to examine the existence of "institutional racism" in the rearticulation of racial disparity remediation indicators to show the validity of CRT by revealing the existence of "institutional racism" lurking behind the policy.

The findings of the analysis are as follows: firstly, the case involves a "problem stream" that required evaluating universities' performance based on their diverse educational missions to ensure stable financial resources for each university and to remediate racial disparities. Secondly, it further involves a "policy stream" to stabilize financial resources by withholding a percentage of budget allocated on the basis of mandatory, elective, and individual performance indicators, including the racial disparity remediation indicators as mandatory. Thirdly, when the initial PF policy was reviewed, it was the Board's intention to make racial disparity remediation the focus of the policy. However, the task force appointed prior to the committee meeting consisted of individuals who had been already highly evaluated by the initial PF policy and allocated a high portion of the funding. As the committee discussed the revision of PF policy based on their draft, a "political stream" was formed in such a way that HBCUs' representatives were excluded from policy discussions. These three streams merged at the committee meeting where the PF policy revision was discussed. Therefore, in the process of applying the racial disparity remediation indicators to the HBCU, the indicators were rearticulated and inverted for the HBCU in a manner inconsistent with the educational mission of HBCUs.

Through the "lens" of CRT that incorporates hegemonic whiteness, this policy displays an assumption of Black hegemony in HBCUs; that is, Black as the racial majority and other races as racial minorities in need of racial disparity remediation. Such policy is based on the idea of reverse racism, which ignores hegemonic whiteness. Also, on an institutional basis, it is consistent with white interests in that it undermines the racial minority and maintains white hegemony. Moreover, such decisions were made by a white-centric committee, representing the structure of a policy process based on white supremacy. These interpretations confirm the existence of "institutional racism."

This study showed the validity of CRT from a more objective perspective by conducting an analysis based on concrete examples from publicly available documents and data.