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Do employers reward physical attractiveness in transition countries?
1Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre, Curtin Business School, Curtin University, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA 6845, Australia.
Abstract:
This paper studies the labour market returns to physical attractiveness using data from three transition countries of the Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. I estimate a large positive effect of attractive looks on males' probability of employment. Results from the most comprehensive model suggest a marginal effect of 11.1 percentage points. Using a partial identification approach, I show that this relationship is likely to be causal. After accounting for covariates, particularly measures of human capital, there is no evidence for a statistically significant link between females' attractiveness and employment.
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