Systemic racism and discrimination in small communities can undermine a country’s

ability to defend itself during conflicts, creating a national security risk, new research
says.

Marco Tabellini, an assistant professor of business administration at Harvard Business

School, analyzed Black and white military enrollment at the onset of World War II. He
found that Black people were 90 percent more likely to sign up for military service—
potentially putting their lives on the line—in communities with less overt discrimination.

“For policymakers, the message of the paper is clear: If you require or expect an equal
contribution from your citizens, all citizens must be treated equally,” says Tabellini. “It
reveals the costs for society as a whole if you don’t.”

Despite the national reckoning in the United States after the killing of George Floyd by
a white police officer last year, some political commentators and elected
officials continue to debate not only the implications of institutional racism, but its very
existence. Tabellini’s study shows how racial injustice reverberates far beyond its
seemingly local source, with significant consequences.