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Do terrorist attacks affect ethnic discrimination in the labour market? Evidence from two randomized field
Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund1, Tak Wing Chan2, Elisabeth Ugreninov3
1University of Oslo.
The British Journal of Sociology
|January 25, 2018
Summary
Terrorist attacks did not change hiring discrimination. A study comparing experiments before and after the 2011 Norway attacks found similar discrimination rates against Pakistani-named applicants, challenging claims of increased positivity towards migrants.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Sociology
- Behavioral Economics
Background:
- Terrorist attacks can influence public opinion and societal attitudes.
- There is ongoing debate about whether such events also alter discriminatory behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of the 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway on ethnic discrimination in hiring.
- To determine if the attacks led to changes in hiring behavior towards Pakistani-named applicants.
Main Methods:
- Conducted two identical randomized field experiments on hiring discrimination in Oslo.
- Compared results from an experiment conducted before the 2011 attacks with one conducted after.
- Analyzed call-back rates for fictitious job applicants with typical Pakistani versus typical Norwegian names.
Main Results:
- Applicants with Pakistani names were significantly less likely to receive job interviews in both experiments.
- The ethnic gap in call-back rates remained consistent between the pre- and post-attack experiments.
- No significant change in hiring discrimination against Pakistani applicants was observed after the attacks.
Conclusions:
- The 2011 terrorist attacks in Norway did not alter the level of ethnic discrimination in the hiring process.
- Findings challenge claims that the attacks fostered a more positive attitude towards migrants in Norway.
- Behavioral discrimination in hiring persisted despite potential shifts in public opinion.
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