When Outsiders Become Insiders: Beliefs and the Persistence of Exclusionary Norms

Luisa Cefalà, Franck Irakoze, Pedro Naso and Nicholas Swanson

AEA Papers and Proceedings, 2026, vol. 116, 162-166

Abstract: Do exclusionary norms unravel as outsiders become insiders? Using a randomized trial in Burundian labor markets generating exogenous skill acquisition, we find incumbent insiders' attitudes remain largely stable while newly skilled workers rapidly adopt exclusionary beliefs resembling incumbents. New insiders become substantially less likely to view skilled workers as responsible for teaching or actively excluding outsiders, instead blaming the unskilled themselves. We interpret these shifts as motivated belief formation to reconcile one’s current status with their past, suggesting that group expansion may reinforce rather than erode exclusionary norms.

JEL-codes: J24 J43 J51 O15 O18 R23 Z13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261047

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