Approach The project will use three data sources: administrative (CBS) data, as well as experimental survey and field data. The PhD student will be involved in the design of the survey and field experiments.
Candidates interested in developing their skills collecting and using different empirical and experimental techniques are encouraged to apply. A strong interest in topics related to gender and, more broadly, diversity at the workplace is required.
Literature references and data sources Adams, R. B., Akyol, A. C., & Grosjean, P. A. (2021).
Corporate gender culture. Available at SSRN 3880650.
Alan, S., Corekcioglu, G., & Sutter, M. (2022).
Improving workplace climate in large corporations: A clustered randomized intervention. MPI Collective Goods Discussion Paper No. 2021/17.
Bohnet, I. (2016).
What works: Gender equality by design. Harvard University Press.
Boring, A., Delfgaauw, J., & Sharif, Z. (2023).
Social desirability bias in attitudes towards sexism and DEI policies at the workplace. Working Paper.
Bonet, R., Cappelli, P., & Hamori, M. (2020). Gender differences in speed of advancement: An empirical examination of top executives in the Fortune 100 firms.
Strategic Management Journal,
41(4), 708-737.
Chang, E. H., Milkman, K. L., Gromet, D. M., Rebele, R. W., Massey, C., Duckworth, A. L., and Grant, A. M. (2019). The mixed effects of online diversity training.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
116(16), 7778-7783.
Dobbin, F. and Kalev, A. (2016). Why diversity programs fail.
Harvard Business Review,
94(7), 52-60.
Dobbin, F. and Kalev, A. (2017). Training programs and reporting systems won’t end sexual harassment. promoting more women will.
Harvard Business Review,
70(4), 687–702.
Dobbin, F. and Kalev, A. (2019). The promise and peril of sexual harassment programs.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
116(25), 12255–12260.
Dobbin, F., & Kalev, A. (2022).
Getting to diversity: What works and what doesn’t. Harvard University Press.
Haaland, I., Roth, C., and Wohlfart, J. (2022). Designing information provision experiments.
Journal of Economic Literature (forthcoming). Leslie, L. M. (2019). Diversity initiative effectiveness: A typological theory of unintended consequences.
Academy of Management Review,
44(3), 538-563.
Paluck, E. L., Porat, R., Clark, C. S., & Green, D. P. (2021). Prejudice reduction: Progress and challenges.
Annual Review of Psychology,
72, 533-560.
Stantcheva, S. (2022).
How to run surveys: A guide to creating your own identifying variation and revealing the invisible. National Bureau of Economic Research No. w30527.
Cooperation The PhD student will work with Dr. Anne Boring and Dr. Josse Delfgaauw on the project. Other collaborations with international scholars are possible.
Academic relevance This research project aims at having both a scientific and a societal impact. Regarding scientific impact, there is a lack of knowledge about the role of employers’ and workers’ attitudes and perceptions of their colleagues’ attitudes on the efficacy of DEI policies. Firms in countries such as the US have been implementing diversity policies since the 1960s. However, research finds that many of the policies that have been implemented by firms do not work. Most of this evidence is qualitative or correlational. We propose to explore some of the opposition to these policies and to provide causal evidence. Recent research highlights clear lack of field experiments on this topic. While many research papers study the persistent underrepresentation of women in leadership, there is a lack of scientific knowledge about policies designed to improve the representation of women and minorities.
Societal relevance Regarding societal impact, this project aims at informing policy makers and firms about policies that work and those that don’t work, to improve diversity in leadership positions in firms. We plan to organize two workshops with researchers, policy makers, and human resources managers to maximize societal impact. The PhD student will be involved in both the scientific and the societal impact goals of the project.
Supervisors Dr. Anne Boring -
boring@ese.eur.nl Dr. Josse Delfgaauw –
delfgaauw@ese.eur.nl