Characterizing Firm Level Discrimination

We propose a stratified correspondence study of large American employers aimed at detecting firm-level discrimination on the basis of race, sex, and age. To construct accurate firm-level estimates, 125 (geographically distinct) job vacancies will be sampled from each employer and 8 fictitious applications will be sent to each job. Employer responses to the experiment will be used to measure the degree to which discriminatory jobs are clustered in particular firms. We will then characterize how discriminatory behavior covaries with firm and establishment level characteristics.