Assessing Discrimination in Access to Higher Education: Results from a Field Experiment

Sylvain Chareyron, Louis-Alexandre Erb and Yannick L'Horty ()

Annals of Economics and Statistics, 2023, issue 151, 121-145

Abstract: This study assesses discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin and disability in access to higher education programs at master level in France. It is based on a national correspondence test with over 600 master's programs tested and 1,800 messages sent. The study found no significant discrimination against applicants with disabilities. However, the results indicate that applicants of North African origin are less likely to receive a positive response. Three months after the correspondence test, a survey of tested recruiters was administered and matched against administrative data. This allowed the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon to be explored. Discrimination is found to be mainly statistical and is influenced by the recruitment method (it is higher when the program head decides alone) and by the attractiveness of the program, linked to the professional outcomes of graduates of the master's degree (the most attractive programs are the most discriminating).

Keywords: Discrimination; Higher Education; Correspondence Test; Disability; Ethnic Origin (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I23 I24 J14 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Working Paper: Assessing Discrimination In Access To Higher Education: Results From A Field Experiment (2023)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:adr:anecst:y:2023:i:151:p:121-145

DOI: 10.2307/48744152

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