The spillover effects of affirmative action on competitiveness and unethical behavior

Description

We conduct an artefactual field experiment to examine the spillover effects of affirmative action policies in the context of caste in India. Specifically, we test whether individuals exposed to affirmative action remain competitive after the policy is withdrawn, and whether such exposure leads to unethical behaviour or spite toward individuals from the beneficiary group. Our findings show that affirmative action policies significantly increase the confidence of lower-caste participants and encourage them to choose competitive payment schemes, such as tournaments. However, these gains do not persist once the policy is removed—levels of confidence and competitiveness revert to baseline levels. Additionally, while there is evidence of pre-existing bias among dominant-caste participants, affirmative action does not significantly intensify such bias or lead to increased unethical or spiteful behaviour. Overall, the results suggest that while affirmative action can have strong short-term positive effects on confidence and participation, these effects may not endure without continued support.

Publication Date

1-1-2016

Publisher

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Keywords

Affirmative action, castes, Competitiveness, Unethical behavior, Field experiment

Source Link URL

http://ftp.iza.org/dp10394.pdf

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