Labour market discrimination: method and measurement

PublikationArtikel (med peer review)
Ali Ahmed

Sammanfattning

The development of methods for detecting labour market discrimination is characterized by a shift from observational data to different forms of experimental data. At the same time, there has been a shift from examining differences in treatment of groups of employees to differences in hiring.

Observational data are associated with omitted variable problems. Field experiments in the form of audit and correspondence studies give better control of what is observed by both employers and the researcher. A limitation is that they can typically be employed only for certain types of (low-skill, early career) jobs and the initial (call-back) stage of the hiring process. Another is that employers’ beliefs cannot be controlled for. Natural and lab experiments can address some of these concerns. Most studies are not able to distinguish theories of between taste-based and statistical discrimination.

The book chapter can be read here.

Ahmed, A., & Hammarstedt, M. (2023). Labour market discrimination: method and measurement.Edward Elgar Publishing.


Liknande innehåll

Discrimination as a determinant of economic inequality
BokkapitelPublikation
Ahmed, A., Lundahl, M., & Wadensjö, E.
Publiceringsår

2024

Publicerat i

Inequality: Economic and Social Issues.

Sammanfattning

In ‘Discrimination as a Determinant of Economic Inequality’, Ali Ahmed, Mats Lundahl, and Eskil Wadensjö examine how economic theory can be used to unearth the mechanisms to produce discrimination and inequality, to identify the winners and losers from it, and to construct recipes for the eradication of discrimination. They stress the fact that economics is far from a unified social science and hence the need to apply different theories as different situations call for it. Two notorious cases are examined: the South African apartheid system and the American discrimination of blacks by whites. The chapter ends with an examination of a number of contemporary cases of ethnic discrimination of minorities.

Samhall work experience and employability: A field experiment on disability discrimination in the Swedish labor market
Artikel (med peer review)Publikation
Ahmed, A., Granberg, M., Khalaf, G. A., & Åberg, A.
Publiceringsår

2024

Publicerat i

Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research, 26(1).

Sammanfattning

Employment is vital for the quality of life and societal integration of disabled people, who often encounter barriers. Programs like Sweden’s state-owned company Samhall are designed to level the playing field. Yet, whether discrimination persists after program participation and ample work experience remains an intriguing question. We investigated whether signaling disability through work experience at Samhall affects employability in Sweden for cleaning roles. A field experiment was conducted in which 768 fictitious job applications were sent to employers with vacant cleaner positions in Sweden. Implied disability, indicated by work experience at Samhall, and gender were randomly varied in the applications. The primary outcome metric was positive employer responses. Disabled applicants received fewer positive responses (28%) than non-disabled applicants (34%). Discrimination was more pronounced for disabled male applicants. The study reveals nuanced discrimination against job applicants with disabilities in Sweden, particularly disabled males, despite their extensive training and experience.

A field experiment on ethnic bias in public housing practices in Sweden
Artikel (med peer review)Publikation
Ahmed, A., & Bandick, R.
Publiceringsår

2024

Publicerat i

Housing Studies, 1-21.

Sammanfattning

This paper presents the first study to investigate ethnic differential treatment in public housing through a correspondence test field experiment. The experiment involved sending inquiries from fictitious couples with Swedish or Arabic names to all public housing companies in Sweden. Four outcomes were examined: whether the public housing companies responded to the inquiries, whether they initiated their response with a greeting, whether they had a priority system in place, and whether they provided information about problematic neighborhoods. The findings revealed disparities in the treatment of the couples. The Swedish couple received greetings and information about problematic neighborhoods at a greater rate than the Arab couple. This study contributes to existing literature on ethnic differences in the housing market by providing evidence of differential treatment within the public housing sector. Additionally, it explores the content and quality of public housing companies’ responses, offering valuable insights for policymakers and housing professionals in designing interventions to promote equality and counteract differential treatment.

Visa fler