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ERIC Number: EJ1360964
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1525-822X
EISSN: EISSN-1552-3969
Infrequent Identity Signals, Multiple Correspondence, and Detection Risks in Audit Correspondence Studies
Balfe, Catherine; Button, Patrick; Penn, Mary; Schwegman, David J.
Field Methods, v35 n1 p3-17 Feb 2023
Audit correspondence studies are field experiments that test for discriminatory behavior in active markets. Researchers measure discrimination by comparing how responsive individuals ("audited units") are to correspondences from different types of people. This article elaborates on the tradeoffs researchers face between sending audited units only one correspondence and sending them multiple correspondences, especially when including less common identity signals in the correspondences. We argue that when researchers use audit correspondence studies to measure discrimination against individuals that infrequently interact with audited units, they raise the risk that these audited units become aware they are being studied or otherwise act differently. We also argue that sending multiple pieces of correspondence can increase detection risk. We present the result of an audit correspondence study that demonstrates how detection can occur for these reasons, leading to significantly attenuated (biased toward zero) estimates of discrimination.
SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2993
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH) (DHHS)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 5T32AG00024423