Full Citation

Title: Ban the Box: The Effects of Criminal Background Information on Labor Market Outcomes

Citation Type: Working Paper

Publication Year: 2016

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Abstract: This paper seeks to investigate the eects of Ban-the-Box laws across the United States. Ban-the-Box laws make it illegal to ask whether an applicant has been convicted of a crime on a job application. The eects are consistent with that of statistical discrimination where the policy is having adverse eects on individuals labor market outcomes. I find that without perfect information about an individuals criminal history, firms base their perceived productivity of a potential applicant on an expected relationship between race and criminality. This results in negative eects on labor market outcomes for all individuals, especially for black males, who are particularly vulnerable.

Url: http://www.economics.hawaii.edu/research/workingpapers/WP_16-06.pdf

User Submitted?: No

Authors: Hirashima, Ashley

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Publication Number: 16-6

Institution: University of Hawai`i at Mnoa

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Publisher Location: Honolulu, HI

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Crime and Deviance, Labor Force and Occupational Structure, Other

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