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Scapegoating during Crises

Author

Listed:
  • Leonardo Bursztyn
  • Georgy Egorov
  • Ingar Haaland
  • Aakaash Rao
  • Christopher Roth

Abstract

Economic crises are often accompanied by waves of antiminority behavior. We build on the framework developed in Bursztyn et al. (2022) to propose that crises, in addition to shifting people's attitudes toward minorities, can provide intolerant people with a plausible rationale for expressing their preexisting prejudice. The availability of such a rationale thus increases antiminority behavior by reducing the associated social sanctions. In an experiment examining how economic crises affect social inference about the motives underlying xenophobic behavior, we find that crises lead respondents to ascribe antiminority behavior to economic concerns rather than to innate xenophobia.

Suggested Citation

  • Leonardo Bursztyn & Georgy Egorov & Ingar Haaland & Aakaash Rao & Christopher Roth, 2022. "Scapegoating during Crises," AEA Papers and Proceedings, American Economic Association, vol. 112, pages 151-155, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:apandp:v:112:y:2022:p:151-55
    DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20221069
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ingar Haaland & Christopher Roth & Johannes Wohlfart, 2023. "Designing Information Provision Experiments," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 3-40, March.
    2. Michal Bauer & Jana Cahlíková & Julie Chytilová & Gérard Roland & Tomáš Želinský, 2023. "Shifting Punishment onto Minorities: Experimental Evidence of Scapegoating," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 133(652), pages 1626-1640.
    3. Raymond Fisman & Yasushi Hamao & Yongxiang Wang, 2014. "Nationalism and Economic Exchange: Evidence from Shocks to Sino-Japanese Relations," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(9), pages 2626-2660.
    4. Leonardo Bursztyn & Georgy Egorov & Stefano Fiorin, 2020. "From Extreme to Mainstream: The Erosion of Social Norms," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(11), pages 3522-3548, November.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • G01 - Financial Economics - - General - - - Financial Crises
    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination

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