Reliance on stereotypes is a persistent feature of human decision-making and has been extensively documented in educational settings, where it can shape students’ confidence, performance, and long-term human capital accumulation. While effective techniques exist to mitigate these negative...

We study the gendered impact of recommendations at different stages of the hiring process. First, using a large sample of reference letters from the academic job market for economists, we document that women receive fewer "ability" and more "grindstone" letters. Next, we conduct two experiments...

We investigate the extent and underlying mechanisms of how race beliefs associated with applicants' names affect hiring decisions. Using nationally representative data, we find widespread beliefs that people with names perceived to be Black possess lower levels of education, productivity and...