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Field Before After
Last Published September 21, 2023 08:39 AM July 01, 2026 10:45 AM
Public Data URL https://doi.org/10.3886/E210084V1
Is there a restricted access data set available on request? No
Program Files Yes
Program Files URL https://doi.org/10.3886/E210084V1
Is data available for public use? Yes
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Papers

Field Before After
Paper Abstract This paper documents discrimination in the formation of professional networks among academic economists. We created 80 bot accounts that claim to be PhD students differing in three characteristics: gender (male or female), race (Black or White), and university affiliation (top- or lower-ranked). The bots randomly followed 6,920 users in the #EconTwitter community. Follow-back rates were 12 percent higher for White students compared to Black students, 21 percent higher for students from top-ranked universities compared to those from lower-ranked institutions, and 25 percent higher for female compared to male students. Notably, the racial gap persists even among students from top-ranked institutions.
Paper Citation Ajzenman, Nicolás, Bruno Ferman, and Pedro C. Sant'Anna. 2025. "Discrimination in the Formation of Academic Networks: A Field Experiment on #EconTwitter." American Economic Review: Insights 7 (3): 357–75.
Paper URL https://doi.org/10.1257/aeri.20240298
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