AEA Papers and Proceedings
ISSN 2574-0768 (Print) | ISSN 2574-0776 (Online)
When Outsiders Become Insiders: Beliefs and the Persistence of Exclusionary Norms
AEA Papers and Proceedings
(pp. 162–166)
Abstract
Do exclusionary norms unravel as outsiders become insiders? Using a randomized trial in Burundian labor markets generating exogenous skill acquisition, we find incumbent insiders' attitudes remain largely stable while newly skilled workers rapidly adopt exclusionary beliefs resembling incumbents. New insiders become substantially less likely to view skilled workers as responsible for teaching or actively excluding outsiders, instead blaming the unskilled themselves. We interpret these shifts as motivated belief formation to reconcile one’s current status with their past, suggesting that group expansion may reinforce rather than erode exclusionary norms.Citation
Cefalà, Luisa, Franck Irakoze, Pedro Naso, and Nicholas Swanson. 2026. "When Outsiders Become Insiders: Beliefs and the Persistence of Exclusionary Norms." AEA Papers and Proceedings 116: 162–166. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20261047Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- J24 Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
- J43 Agricultural Labor Markets
- J51 Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
- R23 Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics: Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population; Neighborhood Characteristics
- Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification