Affirmative action in hierarchies
By: Suzanne Scotchmer.
Contributors: National Bureau of Economic Research.
Series: NBER working paper series ;; working paper 11213; Working paper series (National Bureau of Economic Research : Online) ;; working paper no. 11213.
Publisher: National Bureau of Economic Research
Published: 2005
Place of publication: Cambridge, MA
Language: eng
Format: Electronic resource
Subjects: Promotions.; Risk-taking (Psychology) -- Economic aspects.; Affirmative action programs -- Economic aspects.; Sex discrimination in employment.
Description: "If promotion in a hierarchy is based on a random signal of ability, rates of promotion will be affected by risk-taking.  Further, the numbers and abilities of risk-takers and non-risk-takers will be different at each stage of the hierarchy, and the ratio will be changing.  I show that, under mild conditions, more risk-takers than non-risk-takers will survive at early stages, but they will have lower ability.  At later stages, this will be reversed: Fewer risk-takers than non-risk-takers survive, but they will have higher ability.  I give several interpretations for how these theorems relate to affirmative action, in light of considerable evidence that males are more risk-taking than females"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.
Notes: Also available in print.
Includes bibliographical references.
Title from PDF file as viewed on 3/30/2005.
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Mode of access: World Wide Web.