The modern corporation as a safe haven for taste-based discrimination: An agency model of hiring decisions

B-Tier
Journal: Labour Economics
Year: 2011
Volume: 18
Issue: 4
Pages: 487-497

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper proposes a principal-agent model of labour market discrimination. In this model, the firm manager is a taste-based discriminator and has to make unobservable hiring decisions that determine the shareholder's profits, because workers differ in skill. The model shows that performance-based contracts may moderate the manager's propensity to discriminate, but that they are unlikely to fully eliminate discrimination. Moreover, the model predicts that sectors with high skill leverages discriminate less. Finally, the impacts of a wage gap between groups and of a diversity premium are investigated.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:labeco:v:18:y:2011:i:4:p:487-497
Journal Field
Labor
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-26