Understanding Hiring Decision-Making

Last registered on March 23, 2021
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Understanding Hiring Decision-Making
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0003831
Initial registration date
February 07, 2019

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
February 12, 2019, 5:05 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Last updated
March 23, 2021, 9:56 AM EDT

Last updated is the most recent time when changes to the trial's registration were published.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
David Pedulla
Affiliation
Harvard University
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Sophie Allen
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
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PI Name
Livia Baer-Bositis
PI Affiliation
Stanford University
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Additional Trial Information

Status
Completed
Start date
2019-02-11
End date
2021-02-11
Keywords
Labor
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
While a large body of research has documented the existence of hiring discrimination, the extant research has had less to say about potential remedies to reduce such discrimination. In this project, we ask: how might customer communication regarding a business's lack of personnel diversity impact hiring practices? To address this question, we will conduct an experimental audit study of restaurants who are soliciting job applications. We will prime these employers with an electronic message from a customer and then send the employer job applications -- varying the race of the job applicant -- to assess hiring decisions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Allen, Sophie, Livia Baer-Bositis and David Pedulla. 2021. "Understanding Hiring Decision-Making." AEA RCT Registry. March 23. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.3831-2.0
Former Citation
Allen, Sophie, Livia Baer-Bositis and David Pedulla. 2021. "Understanding Hiring Decision-Making." AEA RCT Registry. March 23. https://www.socialscienceregistry.org/trials/3831/history/88044
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2019-02-11
Intervention End Date
2021-02-11

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
A "callback" from the employer.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
We will prime employers with an electronic message from a customer and then send the employer job applications -- varying the race of the job applicant -- to assess hiring decisions.
Experimental Design Details
As noted above, we will randomly assign employers to be primed by one of three electronic messages from a customer. The first mentions concerns with parking (a "control" condition). The second mentions concerns with a lack of racial diversity. The third mentions concerns with a lack of racial diversity and indicates that the customer is planning to write a review of the restaurant online. We subsequently send two job applications to each employer where the race of the applicant is randomly assigned. Callbacks for each applicant are recorded via email and voicemail.
Randomization Method
Randomization is done by a computer.
Randomization Unit
The job posting.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1998 job postings
Sample size: planned number of observations
3996 applications
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
666 job postings in parking condition, 666 job postings in diversity condition, 666 job postings in diversity plus review condition
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials

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IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Harvard University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2020-11-18
IRB Approval Number
IRB20-1495
IRB Name
Stanford University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2019-07-03
IRB Approval Number
47325
IRB Name
Stanford University Institutional Review Board
IRB Approval Date
2019-02-07
IRB Approval Number
47325
Analysis Plan

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials