Ethnic salience and discrimination
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Series
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SpeakerSigrid Suetens (Tilburg University)
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FieldOrganizations and Markets
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LocationErasmus University Rotterdam, Campus Woudestein, room T3-29
Rotterdam -
Date and time
November 17, 2023
15:30 - 16:45
Abstract
We report the results of three controlled experiments in which individuals who belong to a majority group make choices that affect an individual with an ethnic minority background. All three experiments consist of several experimental waves that vary in terms of ethnic salience. The variation in ethnic salience comes from the differential timing of the experimental waves, and, in one experiment, additionally from variation in the information provided about the ethnic background. The key result is that individuals behave seemingly more pro-socially towards minorities as ethnic salience increases, while there is no effect on pro-sociality towards other majority members. We provide evidence that social desirability bias is an important mechanism behind the result.