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Labour market discrimination against former juvenile delinquents: evidence from a field experiment

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  • Stijn Baert
  • Elsy Verhofstadt

Abstract

In view of policy action to integrate ex-offenders into society, it is important to identify the underlying mechanisms of the negative relationship between criminal record on the one hand and later employment and earnings on the other hand. In this study, we identify hiring discrimination against former juvenile delinquents in a direct way. To this end, we conduct a field experiment in the Belgian labour market. We find that labour market discrimination is indeed a major barrier in the transition to work for former juvenile delinquents. Labour market entrants disclosing a history of juvenile delinquency get about 22% less callback compared to their counterparts without a criminal record. This discrimination is heterogeneous by the occupation for which one applies.

Suggested Citation

  • Stijn Baert & Elsy Verhofstadt, 2015. "Labour market discrimination against former juvenile delinquents: evidence from a field experiment," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(11), pages 1061-1072, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:47:y:2015:i:11:p:1061-1072
    DOI: 10.1080/00036846.2014.990620
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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Crime scars: can recessions produce career criminals?
      by Blog Admin in British Politics and Policy at LSE on 2015-08-04 11:00:02

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    Cited by:

    1. David Neumark, 2018. "Experimental Research on Labor Market Discrimination," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 56(3), pages 799-866, September.
    2. Lavecchia, Adam & Oreopoulos, Philip & Spencer, Noah, 2024. "The impact of comprehensive student support on crime," CLEF Working Paper Series 65, Canadian Labour Economics Forum (CLEF), University of Waterloo.
    3. Lavecchia, Adam M. & Oreopoulos, Philip & Spencer, Noah, 2024. "The Impact of Comprehensive Student Support on Crime: Evidence from the Pathways to Education Program," IZA Discussion Papers 16724, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    4. Stijn Baert & Dieter Verhaest, 2019. "Unemployment or Overeducation: Which is a Worse Signal to Employers?," De Economist, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 1-21, March.
    5. Ali M. Ahmed & Elisabeth Lång, 2017. "The employability of ex-offenders: a field experiment in the Swedish labor market," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 6(1), pages 1-23, December.
    6. Baert, Stijn, 2017. "Hiring Discrimination: An Overview of (Almost) All Correspondence Experiments Since 2005," GLO Discussion Paper Series 61, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. Baert, Stijn & Norga, Jennifer & Thuy, Yannick & Van Hecke, Marieke, 2016. "Getting grey hairs in the labour market. An alternative experiment on age discrimination," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 86-101.
    8. Gaddis, S. Michael, 2018. "An Introduction to Audit Studies in the Social Sciences," SocArXiv e5hfc, Center for Open Science.
    9. Melo, Vitor & Rocha, Hugo Vaca Pereira & Sigaud, Liam & Warren, Patrick L. & Gaddis, S. Michael, 2024. "Understanding Discrimination in College Admissions: A Field Experiment," SocArXiv 5ctms, Center for Open Science.
    10. Adolfo Sachsida & Mario J. C. Mendonca & Paulo R. A. Loureiro & Antonio Nascimento Junior & Roberto Ellery & Tito Belchior Silva Moreira, 2018. "Crime and Discrimination in the Labor Market: An Empirical Approach," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(3), pages 196-204, March.
    11. Melo, Vitor & Sigaud, Liam, 2024. "Right-to-Work Laws and Labor Market Discrimination: Evidence from a Field Experiment," Working Papers 12375, George Mason University, Mercatus Center.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C93 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Field Experiments
    • J2 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing

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