Arbeitspapier
Attention Discrimination: Theory and Field Experiments with Monitoring Information Acquisition
We link two important ideas: attention is scarce and lack of information about an individual drives discrimination in selection decisions. Our model of allocation of costly attention implies that applicants from negatively stereotyped groups face attention discrimination: less attention in highly selective cherry-picking markets, where more attention helps applicants, and more attention in lemon-dropping markets, where it harms them. To test the prediction, we integrate tools to monitor information acquisition into correspondence field experiments. In both countries we study we find that unfavorable signals, minority names, or unemployment, systematically reduce employers' efforts to inspect resumes. Also consistent with the model, in the rental housing market, which is much less selective than labor markets, we find landlords acquire more information about minority relative to majority applicants. We discuss implications of endogenous attention for magnitude and persistence of discrimination in selection decisions, returns to human capital and, potentially, for policy.
- Language
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Englisch
- Bibliographic citation
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Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 8058
- Classification
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Wirtschaft
Field Experiments
Search; Learning; Information and Knowledge; Communication; Belief; Unawareness
Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
Labor Discrimination
- Subject
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discrimination
attention
field experiment
monitoring information acquisition
- Event
-
Geistige Schöpfung
- (who)
-
Bartoš, Vojtěch
Bauer, Michal
Chytilová, Julie
Matějka, Filip
- Event
-
Veröffentlichung
- (who)
-
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
- (where)
-
Bonn
- (when)
-
2014
- Handle
- Last update
-
10.03.2025, 11:44 AM CET
Data provider
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. If you have any questions about the object, please contact the data provider.
Object type
- Arbeitspapier
Associated
- Bartoš, Vojtěch
- Bauer, Michal
- Chytilová, Julie
- Matějka, Filip
- Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
Time of origin
- 2014
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