The refugee rate: evidence from a field experiment of discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers

Simonson, James

The refugee rate: evidence from a field experiment of discrimination against refugees and asylum seekers

Master Thesis

2021

Abstract

With the number of displaced continuing to rise, there is more urgency than ever to create sustainable solutions for the economic inclusion of refugees. One path that offers benefits to all stakeholders is self-reliance though providing refugees the right to work. Yet little work has been done to measure discrimination against displaced persons, a potential barrier to success with self-reliance. I perform a field experiment to measure discrimination against foreign and displaced persons in the labour market in which fake inquiries, each signaling different statuses, are sent to job postings. The results show significant discrimination against foreign and displaced applicants, with refugees facing the most acute and persistent decline in response rate. Refugees receive roughly 20% fewer responses than native-born candidates, which holds across industries and locations. This lower “refugee rate” suggests host nations will have to be proactive in ensuring equal protection if they hope to achieve success in the economic inclusion of refugees.

Keywords

economics

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