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Seminar

Perceived Fairness and Consequences of Affirmative Action Policies

  • Series
    CREED Seminars
  • Speaker(s)
    Hannah Schildberg-Hörisch (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany)
  • Field
    Behavioral Economics
  • Location
    University of Amsterdam, Roeterseilandcampus, room E5.22
    Amsterdam
  • Date and time

    February 22, 2024
    16:00 - 17:15

Abstract

Debates about affirmative action often revolve around fairness. In a laboratory experiment, we study three quota rules in tournaments that favour individuals whose performance is low, either due to discrimination, low productivity, or choice of a short working time. Affirmative action favouring discriminated individuals is perceived as fairest, followed by that targeting individuals with a short working time, while favouring low-productivity individuals is not perceived as fairer than an absence of affirmative action. Higher fairness perceptions coincide with a higher willingness to compete and less retaliation against winners, underlining that fairness perceptions matter for the consequences of affirmative action.