Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP11123
Authors: Marianne Bertrand; Esther Duflo
Abstract: This article reviews the existing field experimentation literature on the prevalence of discrimination, the consequences of such discrimination, and possible approaches to undermine it. We highlight key gaps in the literature and ripe opportunities for future field work. Section 1 reviews the various experimental methods that have been employed to measure the prevalence of discrimination, most notably audit and correspondence studies; it also describes several other measurement tools commonly used in lab-based work that deserve greater consideration in field research. Section 2 provides an overview of the literature on the costs of being stereotyped or discriminated against, with a focus on self-expectancy effects and self-fulfilling prophecies; section 2 also discusses the thin field-based literature on the consequences of limited diversity in organizations and groups. The final section of the paper, Section 3, reviews the evidence for policies and interventions aimed at weakening discrimination, covering role model and intergroup contact effects, as well as socio-cognitive and technological de-biasing strategies.
Keywords: Discrimination; Field Experiments; Labor Economics
JEL Codes: J71; C93
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| minority applicants with African American-sounding names (J15) | fewer callbacks for job interviews (J29) |
| statistical discrimination (J71) | less favorable treatment of minority candidates (J15) |
| negative stereotypes (J15) | poorer performance of minority groups (J15) |
| poorer performance (D29) | further discrimination (J79) |
| perceived race (J15) | employment opportunities (J68) |