Audit Studies: Behind the Scenes with Theory, Method, and Nuance (eBook)

S. Michael Gaddis (Herausgeber)

eBook Download: PDF

2018
VII, 198 Seiten
Springer International Publishing (Verlag)
9783319711539 (ISBN)

Infos

This book offers practical instruction on the use of audit studies in the social sciences. It features essays from sociologists, economists, and other experts who have employed this powerful and flexible tool. Readers will learn how to implement an audit study to examine a variety of questions in their own research. The essays first discuss situations where audit studies are the most effective. These tools allow researchers to make strong causal claims and explore questions that are often difficult to answer with observational data. Audit studies also stand as the single best way to conduct research on discrimination. The authors highlight what these studies have uncovered about labor market processes in the past decade. The next section gives some guidance on how to design an audit study. The essays cover the difficult task of getting a study through an institutional review board, the technical setup of matching procedures, and statistical power and analysis techniques.

 The last part focuses on more advanced aspects. Coverage includes understanding context, what variables may signal, and the use of technology. The book concludes with a discussion of challenges and limitations with an eye towards the future of audit studies.

'Field experiments studying and testing for housing and labor market discrimination have, rightly, become the dominant mode of discrimination-related research in economics and sociology.  This book brings together a number of interesting and useful perspectives on these field experiments. Many different kinds of readers will find it valuable, ranging from those interested in getting an overview of the evidence, to researchers looking for guidance on the nuts and bolts of conducting these complex experiments.'

David Neumark, Chancellor's Professor of Economics at the University of California - Irvine

'For decades, researchers have used experimental audit studies to uncover discrimination in a variety of markets. Although this approach has become more popular in recent years, few publications provide detailed information on the design and implementation of the method. This volume provides the first deep examination of the audit method, with details on the practical, political, analytical, and theoretical considerations of this research. Social scientists interested in consuming or contributing to this literature will find this volume immensely useful.'

Devah Pager, Professor of Sociology and Public Policy at Harvard University

S. Michael Gaddis is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at UCLA.  His work explores the causes and consequences of racial and educational inequality, often through experiments.  He has led the data collection efforts on nearly a dozen field and survey experiments.  His research has been published in the American Journal of Sociology, Social Forces, and Sociological Science, among other outlets.

Inhalt

Contents 6
Contributors 8
Part I: The Theory Behind and History of Audit Studies 9
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Audit Studies in the Social Sciences 10
1.1 Introduction 10
1.2 The Basics of Audit Studies: Language and Definitions 12
1.3 The Need for Audit Studies 14
1.4 A History of Audit Studies 16
1.4.1 The Early Years: The First In-Person and Correspondence Audits 16
1.4.2 The First Wave: The Early 1970s Through the Mid 1980s 17
1.4.3 The Second Wave: The Late 1980s Through the Late 1990s 19
1.4.4 The Third Wave: The Early 2000s Through the Late 2000s 20
1.4.5 The Current Wave: The Early 2010s to Present 23
Adjudicating Among Types of Discrimination 24
Context and Conditions Under Which Discrimination Occurs 25
Methodological Issues in Audit Design 26
Including Additional Data from Outside the Audit 28
1.5 Limitations of and Ways to Improve Correspondence Audits 29
1.6 This Volume and Online Resources 31
1.7 Recommended Reading 32
1.7.1 Comprehensive Articles and Books on Audits 32
1.7.2 Reviews of Audits and Discrimination Research 32
1.7.3 Meta-Analyses of Audits 33
1.7.4 Articles and Books on the Methodology of Audits, Discrimination, and Field Experiments 33
Field Experiments (General) 33
Audits (General) 33
Discrimination (General) 34
Automating Resume Creation for Audits 34
Critiques of Audits and Solutions 34
Signaling Characteristics in Audits 34
Statistical Analysis of Audits 35
1.7.5 Theoretical Articles and Books on Discrimination 35
References 35
Chapter 2: Making It Count: Discrimination Auditing and the Activist Scholar Tradition 52
2.1 Introduction 52
2.2 Auditing in the Era of Gradualist Persuasion 54
2.3 Auditing in the Era of Civil Rights Laws 57
2.4 Audits Combining Rigor and Relevance 59
2.5 Auditing Scholar-Activism Today 62
2.6 Barriers to Be Overcome 65
References 66
Chapter 3: Hiring Discrimination: An Overview of (Almost) All Correspondence Experiments Since 2005 70
3.1 Triple Goal 70
3.2 Scope 72
3.3 The Register 73
3.3.1 Treatment and Treatment Effects 73
3.3.2 Country of Analysis 79
3.4 Conclusion 79
References 80
Part II: The Method of Audit Studies: Design, Implementation, and Analysis 85
Chapter 4: Technical Aspects of Correspondence Studies 86
4.1 External Validity and the Audit Study 87
4.2 Determining the Pool 88
4.2.1 Participants 88
4.2.2 Length of Time 89
4.2.3 How Many Pieces of Correspondence to Send 90
4.3 Crafting Correspondence 91
4.3.1 Choosing Correspondence Inputs 91
4.3.2 Creating Correspondence 92
4.3.3 Matched Correspondence 96
4.4 Sample Size 97
4.5 Datamining Concerns: Pre-registration and Mid-­Experiment Analysis 98
4.6 Technical Data Concerns 99
4.6.1 Sending Correspondence 99
4.6.2 Matching Responses to Correspondence 99
4.6.3 Data Storage 100
4.6.4 If You Need to Change the Resumes Mid-Experiment 101
4.7 Analysis Concerns 102
4.8 Beyond Standard Audit Studies 103
4.9 Technical Checklist 104
References 104
Chapter 5: An Introduction to Conducting Email Audit Studies 107
5.1 Introduction 107
5.2 Guide to Implementation 109
5.2.1 Experimental Design and Sample Selection 111
5.2.2 Email Address Collection 111
5.2.3 Covariate Collection 112
5.2.4 Treatment Randomization 113
5.2.5 Email Delivery 113
5.2.6 Pre-implementation 114
5.3 Implementation 116
5.4 Outcome Collection 116
5.5 Analysis 118
5.6 Extending Audit Studies 118
5.7 Discussion 119
References 119
Chapter 6: To Match or Not to Match? Statistical and Substantive Considerations in Audit Design and Analysis 122
6.1 Sample Size Requirements for Matched and Unmatched Approaches 123
6.2 Statistical Efficiency in Matched and Unmatched Designs 128
6.3 Substantive Considerations to Matching 137
6.4 Conclusions and Recommendations 140
References 142
Part III: Nuance in Audit Studies: Context, Mechanisms, and the Future 144
Chapter 7: Opportunities and Challenges in Designing and Conducting a Labor Market Resume Study 145
7.1 Introduction 145
7.2 Understanding How Schooling Matters in Hiring 146
7.3 External Validity Issues: Selecting a Research Site 149
7.3.1 Selecting a Small City 149
7.3.2 Finding a Larger City for Comparison 151
7.3.3 Unforeseen Difficulties in Studying Our Small City 152
7.4 Understanding the Hiring Process 154
7.5 Sample Selection Issues: Which Jobs to Sample? 156
7.6 Recommendations for Future Research 158
References 159
Chapter 8: The Geography of Stigma: Experimental Methods to Identify the Penalty of Place 161
8.1 Introduction 162
8.2 Spatial Stigma 163
8.3 The Challenges of Measuring Spatial Stigma 165
8.4 Experimental Design: Examples from Two Studies 167
8.5 Limitations 171
8.6 Three Areas for Future Research 174
References 176
Chapter 9: Emerging Frontiers in Audit Study Research: Mechanisms, Variation, and Representativeness 180
9.1 Uncovering the Mechanisms of Discrimination and Bias 181
9.1.1 Measuring or Manipulating Mechanisms 182
9.1.2 Combining Audit Studies with Survey or Lab Experiments 184
9.1.3 Collecting Qualitative Data 186
9.2 Identifying Key Axes of Variation 187
9.2.1 Variation by Individual-Level Characteristics 188
9.2.2 Variation by Place or Geography 189
9.2.3 Paths Forward for Identifying Key Axes of Variation 190
9.3 Clarifying Issues of Representativeness 191
9.4 Beyond the Labor Market 192
9.5 Conclusion 193
References 194
Index 197

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 20.2.2018
• Reihe/Serie: Methodos Series
• Reihe/Serie: Methodos Series
• Zusatzinfo: VII, 198 p. 8 illus.
• Verlagsort: Cham
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Sozialwissenschaften ► Soziologie ► Empirische Sozialforschung
• Schlagworte: Audit studies • Discrimination • Field experiments • research ethics • Research methods
• ISBN-13: 9783319711539 / 9783319711539