Collaboration, Alphabetical Order and Gender Discrimination. Evidence from the Lab

Vegard Sjurseike Wiborg (), Kjell Arne Brekke and Karine Nyborg
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Vegard Sjurseike Wiborg: Dept. of Economics, University of Oslo, Postal: Department of Economics, University of Oslo, P.O Box 1095 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway

No 4/2019, Memorandum from Oslo University, Department of Economics

Abstract: If individual abilities are imperfectly observable, statistical discrimination may affect hiring decisions. In our lab experiment, pairs of subjects solve simple mathematical problems. Subjects then hire others to perform similar tasks. Before choosing whom to hire, they receive information about the past scores of pairs, not of individuals. We vary the observability of individuals’ abilities by ordering pair members either according to performance, or alphabetically by nickname. We find no evidence of gender discrimination in either treatment, however, possibly indicating that gender stereotypes are of limited importance in the context of our study.

Keywords: Discrimination; Collaboration; Alphabetic; Gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 C91 D83 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2019-05-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-exp, nep-gen and nep-ore
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Related works:
Working Paper: Collaboration, Alphabetical Order and Gender Discrimination – Evidence from the Lab (2020)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:osloec:2019_004

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