What's in a name? A field experiment test for the existence of ethnic discrimination in the hiring process

Moa Bursell ()
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Moa Bursell: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Postal: Stockholm University Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS, Stockholm University, S-10691 Stockholm, Sweden

No 2007:7, SULCIS Working Papers from Stockholm University, Linnaeus Center for Integration Studies - SULCIS

Abstract: This paper provides evidence of extensive ethnic discrimination in the Swedish labour market. A field experiment (correspondence test) that tests employer discrimination has been performed. Pairs of equally merited applications has been sent to job openings, one with a Swedish sounding name and one with a foreign sounding name. Discrimination is measured by documenting the existence of an ethnic difference in call-backs. The results indicate that there is discrimination in all of the occupations that were tested in the experiment, but that the extent of the ethnic discrimination differs between the occupations. An attempt is also made to explain the results applying the theories of statistical discrimination and social distance.

Keywords: ethnic discrimination in the labour market; statistical discrimination; social distance; field experiment; correspondence test (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J15 J71 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2007-11-27
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-exp, nep-lab and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (52)

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