Employment Discrimination in Georgia: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Asali, Muhammad and Pignatti, Norberto and Skhirtladze, Sophiko (2017): Employment Discrimination in Georgia: Evidence from a Field Experiment.

Abstract

We provide experimental evidence about ethnic discrimination in the labor market in Georgia. We randomly assign Georgian and non-Georgian, male and female, names to similar resumes and apply for jobs as advertised in help-wanted web sites in Georgia. We find that gender has no effect on the probability of callback, but a job applicant who is ethnic Georgian is twice more likely to be called for a job interview than an equally skilled ethnic non-Georgian (Azeri or Armenian). The almost 100% gap in callbacks is statistically significant and cannot be abridged by having more experience or education. Both taste-based discrimination and statistical discrimination models are consistent with the evidence provided in this study. Labor market discrimination tends to aggravate in economic busts.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Field Experiment; Discrimination; Employment; Recession; Ethnicity
• Subjects: C - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods > C9 - Design of Experiments > C93 - Field Experiments; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J15 - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants ; Non-labor Discrimination; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J7 - Labor Discrimination > J71 - Discrimination; P - Economic Systems > P2 - Socialist Systems and Transitional Economies > P23 - Factor and Product Markets ; Industry Studies ; Population

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