Interaction, Stereotypes, and Performance: Evidence from South Africa

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2022
Volume: 112
Issue: 12
Pages: 3848-75

Authors (3)

Lucia Corno (Università Cattolica del Sacro...) Eliana La Ferrara (not in RePEc) Justine Burns (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

2.691 = (α=2.02 / 3 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

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

Abstract

We exploit a policy designed to randomly allocate roommates in a large South African university to investigate whether interracial interaction affects stereotypes, attitudes and performance. Using implicit association tests, we find that living with a roommate of a different race reduces White students' negative stereotypes towards Black students and increases interracial friendships. Interaction also affects academic outcomes: Black students improve their GPA, pass more exams and have lower dropout rates. This effect is not driven by roommate's ability.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:112:y:2022:i:12:p:3848-75
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25