Research Project
The aim of this project is to analyze the potential of three behavioral interventions to remedy gender inequalities in the student population at the University of Bath.
Each intervention takes the form of a randomized controlled study of applicants to all economics programs at the University of Bath. This allows us to determine any causal inferences between the interventions and their results separately and together and to evaluate their relative efficacy.
The behavioral policies adopted are informed by recent research in psychology and behavioral economics and focus on the role played by female peers and role models during the university applications process.
The interventions are as follows: (i) systematically varied emails sent to all candidates; (ii) the presence of female role models and peers during candidate open days; (iii) telephone conversations with female students who are already enrolled in Economics.
The goal of this project is to identify interventions that will effectively counter gender imbalances in a context in which women are severely underrepresented. Knowledge gained from this project could be pertinent to other fields in which women are majorly underrepresented.