Understanding Ethnic Identity in Africa: Evidence from the Implicit Association Test (IAT)
American Economic Review
vol. 105,
no. 5, May 2015
(pp. 340-45)
Abstract
We use a variant of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) to examine individuals' implicit attitudes towards various ethnic groups. Using a population from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we find that the IAT measures show evidence of an implicit bias in favor of one's own ethnicity. Individuals have implicit views of their own ethnic group that are more positive than their implicit views of other ethnic groups. We find this implicit bias to be quantitatively smaller than the (explicit) bias one finds when using self-reported attitudes about different ethnic groups.Citation
Lowes, Sara, Nathan Nunn, James A. Robinson, and Jonathan Weigel. 2015. "Understanding Ethnic Identity in Africa: Evidence from the Implicit Association Test (IAT)." American Economic Review, 105 (5): 340-45. DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151075Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
- O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
- P36 Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions: Consumer Economics; Health; Education and Training: Welfare, Income, Wealth, and Poverty