Doctoral Dissertation Research: Reputational Consequences of Scholarships

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This project will investigate whether association with particular scholarship programs generates negative reputational consequences for labor market outcomes. It also will examine if and how employer characteristics are related to the potentially stigmatizing effects of such awards. In recent decades, many universities and companies have used scholarships, fellowships, and pipeline programs to achieve organizational goals. These programs offer members of some groups additional opportunities and resources but in doing so may label the recipients. Prior research has found that beneficiaries may be seen as less warm and less competent. The findings from this project will provide greater understanding of how opportunity-enhancing programs and awards may have unintended negative effects on their beneficiaries’ outcomes.This project uses a survey experiment to measure employer perceptions of scholarship winners. The sample consists of hiring managers and other professionals with recruiting and hiring experience. Respondents are randomly assigned resumés to review and are asked to answer questions about their perceptions of the job applicants represented by the resumés. The resumés experimentally manipulate the demographic group of the applicant and kind of scholarship received. The survey experiment will be complemented by a field experiment with similar experimental manipulations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.