We propose a new explanation for gender biases in talent assessments and promotion decisions based on a theory of model persuasion in a teamwork setting. Agents work in teams and tell stories about the difficulty of projects they have jointly completed.
- Speaker
- Date
- Friday 15 Nov 2024, 12:00 - 13:15
- Type
- Seminar
- Room
- T3-03
- Building
- Mandeville Building
Principals, who observe the project outcome but not the underlying difficulty or individual talent of agents, rely on these narratives to form their talent assessments and make promotion decisions. Agents strategically craft stories to persuade the principal, both to increase the principal’s assessment of their individual talent and to position themselves as more capable than their teammates, thereby enhancing their chances of winning a promotion. We show that despite equal talent distributions and equal standards for men and women, persuasive storytelling primarily benefits men. This leads to biased promotion decisions in favor of men and the emergence of false beliefs about women’s talent, reinforcing gender disparities over time.
About the speaker
Arno is Assistant Professor (Juniorprofessor) at the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences of the University of Cologne, an Associated Member of the ECONtribute: Markets & Policy Research Cluster of the Universities of Bonn and Cologne, and a member of the Center for Social and Economic Behavior (C-SEB) at the University of Cologne.
His research interests are in behavioral and experimental economics, and applied theory. He is interested in how social and psychological factors interact with the choice environment, especially with information, and how this affects economic and political behavior in different domains.
Registration
If you would like to have a bilateral or join the speaker for lunch or dinner on Friday, please send an email to boring@ese.eur.nl.
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