In the last 15 years correspondence studies have become a standard method of measuring racial and ethnic discrimination in the labour market. Most previous studies only focused on a small number of ethnic groups and attempted to test the theory of statistical discrimination. For the first time in the literature we conduct a correspondence study of ethnic discrimination in Russia; a sample of over 9,000 job applications makes it one of the largest studies ever administered. We include 10 ethnic groups and run the experiment in four locations in Russia with varying ethnic composition of the population and institutional status of ethnic minorities. Ethnic discrimination in hiring is often based on implicit prejudice. Rather than engaging in the debate about statistical and taste discrimination, we test theoretical ideas about ethnic hierarchies developed in social psychology. The results show that ethnic preferences of employers differ dramatically across locations in Russia. In Moscow and St Petersburg, employers treat applications from ethnic Russians and ethnic groups of European origin (Ukrainians, Jews, Germans, Latvians and Lithuanians) in about the same way. However, employers discriminate against ethnic groups of Southern origin (Tatars, Georgians, Armenians, Chechens, Azeris, Tajiks, Uzbeks). Men from ethnic groups of Southern origin experience stronger discrimination compared to women. In Kazan and Ufa, two cities in the Volga region with an ethnically mixed population and institutionally privileged status of titular ethnic groups (Tatars and Bashkirs), all ethnic groups are treated about equally. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates regional heterogeneity of ethnic preferences in hiring within the same country.

Everyone interested is invited!

Working language is English.

Videoconference with Moscow office of the LCSR (Krivokolenny Pereulok , 3, room 3-333) will be provided. Guests from Moscow are invited to make a request for a pass to the building to Tereza Tonyan (ttonyan@hse.ru)  by 12 am of the seminar’s day.

Guests from St. Petersburg are invited to make a request for a pass to the building to Olesya Volchenko (ovolchenko@hse.ru) by 12 am of the seminar’s day.

Also after the seminar a videotape will be put up after the summary of the presentation.