Moa Bursell
Biographic Data
| ID | 191484 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Moa Bursell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Moa |
| FAMILY NAME | Bursell |
| SIGNATURE | BURSELL M |
| AFFILIATIONS | Institute for Futures Studies |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8289-4401 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 133 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 13 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2011 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 5 |
The making of ethnic segregation on the labor market—evidence from a field experiment
Western labor markets are typically segregated by country of birth, with immigrants often employed in roles such as cleaners, taxi drivers, and fast-food cooks. We examine whether employers are more likely to select immigrants for these low-skilled jobs. We use data from correspondence tests conducted in Sweden in the 2010s, with about 7,000 job applications submitted. While ethnic discrimination is widespread in occupations dominated by native-b…
After the algorithms
In recent years, both private and public organizations across contexts have begun implementing AI technologies in their recruitment processes. This transition is typically justified by improved efficiency as well as more objective, performance-based ranking, and inclusive selection of job candidates. However, this rapid development has also raised concerns that the use of these emerging technologies will instead increase discrimination or enhance…
The scope and limits of implicit bias training
Implicit bias reduction has become an increasingly popular feature of so-called 'diversity training' in both public and private organizations. It remains popular, despite a lack of robust evidence suggesting that it is possible to accomplish lasting changes to individual implicit bias. In addition, previous research relies almost entirely on laboratory experiments; almost nothing is known about the scope of these findings. The present study aims …
Resisting assimilation – ethnic boundary maintenance among Jews in Sweden
This article evaluates Andreas Wimmer’s theory of ethnic boundary making by applying it to the maintenance of Jewish ethnic identification in Sweden, as expressed in interviews with Swedish Jews. Wimmer proposes that ethnic conflict routinizes and entrenches perceptions of ethnic difference; we argue that the antisemitic persecutions of the twentieth century have entrenched the perception of the ethnic distinctiveness of Jews among Jews themselve…
Do we need dual-process theory to understand implicit bias? A study of the nature of implicit bias against Muslims
Psychological dual-process theory has become increasingly popular among sociologists. The dual-process framework accounts for two types of thinking; a fast, associative, automatic or subconscious "System 1 thinking", and a slow, propositional and reflective "System 2 thinking". The insight that the former can also be empirically studied by sociologists has the potential to significantly improve sociological research. However, dual-process theory …
Perceptions of discrimination against Muslims. A study of formal complaints against public institutions in Sweden
While discrimination in the labour market, housing and consumer domains has been studied extensively, discrimination against minorities by public institutions has thus far been a somewhat neglected issue. Still, it has a stratifying potential similar to that of labour market discrimination; public institutions distribute both common resources, services, and impose sanctions on citizens who do not conform to society’s rules and regulations. To ful…
Does employer discrimination contribute to the subordinate labor market inclusion of individuals of a foreign background
Advanced labor markets are typically stratified by origin with a majority ethnic group occupying more desirable (high-skilled) positions and subordinated ethnic minorities occupying less desirable (low-skilled) positions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether employer recruitment choices reinforce these patterns. This would be the case if employers were more reluctant to hire subordinate minority job applicants for high-skilled position…
On the Methodological Difficulty of Identifying Implicit Racial Beliefs and Stereotypes
In "Status Characteristics, Implicit Bias, and the Production of Racial Inequality," Melamed, Munn, Barry, Montgomery, and Okuwobi present an innovative and intriguing study on social influence, status beliefs, and implicit racial bias. To capture status-based expectancies, the authors measure implicit racial status beliefs using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) with words related to high and low status. We identify an important flaw in the stu…
Diversity preferences among employees and ethnoracial workplace segregation
The Reverse Gender Gap in Ethnic Discrimination
We examine differences in the intensity of employer stereotypes of men and women with Arabic names in Sweden by testing how much work experience is needed to eliminate the disadvantage of having an Arabic name on job applications. Employers are first sent curriculum vitaes (CVs) of equal merit in a field experiment setup. Arabic-named CVs are thereafter enhanced with more relevant work experience than Swedish-named CVs. The results indicate a rev…
S weden
Ethnic relations and nationalist sentiments in Sweden have primarily evolved around two distinct phenomena: relations between native ethnic groups and relations between the dominant ethnic group and immigrant groups. Sweden is a multicultural society where ethnic Swedes constitute the ethnic majority. There are five national minority groups: Swedish Finns, Tornedal, Sami, Roma, and Jews. State relations toward its national minorities have been in…
The Multiple Burdens of Foreign-Named Men--Evidence from a Field Experiment on Gendered Ethnic Hiring Discrimination in Sweden
Scholars have documented ethnic and gender discrimination across labour markets since the 1970s by using field experiments (correspondence tests) in which pairs of equally qualified applications are sent to employers with job openings. In these experiments, discrimination is measured by documenting group differences in callbacks. However, the gendered nature of ethnic discrimination has been neglected thus far in this literature. Drawing on the r…
Name change and destigmatization among Middle Eastern immigrants in Sweden
Research has shown that individuals in Sweden with foreign-sounding surnames who take on more Swedish-sounding or neutral surnames have a positive earnings progression compared to individuals who keep their foreign-sounding names. This article explores the strategies underlying these surname changes. I draw on forty-five interviews from a population of individuals with Middle Eastern backgrounds who changed surnames during the 1990s. Drawing on s…
The Multiple Burdens of Foreign-Named Men--Evidence from a Field Experiment on Gendered Ethnic Hiring Discrimination in Sweden
Scholars have documented ethnic and gender discrimination across labour markets since the 1970s by using field experiments (correspondence tests) in which pairs of equally qualified applications are sent to employers with job openings. In these experiments, discrimination is measured by documenting group differences in callbacks. However, the gendered nature of ethnic discrimination has been neglected thus far in this literature. Drawing on the r…
Name change and destigmatization among Middle Eastern immigrants in Sweden
Research has shown that individuals in Sweden with foreign-sounding surnames who take on more Swedish-sounding or neutral surnames have a positive earnings progression compared to individuals who keep their foreign-sounding names. This article explores the strategies underlying these surname changes. I draw on forty-five interviews from a population of individuals with Middle Eastern backgrounds who changed surnames during the 1990s. Drawing on s…
The Reverse Gender Gap in Ethnic Discrimination
We examine differences in the intensity of employer stereotypes of men and women with Arabic names in Sweden by testing how much work experience is needed to eliminate the disadvantage of having an Arabic name on job applications. Employers are first sent curriculum vitaes (CVs) of equal merit in a field experiment setup. Arabic-named CVs are thereafter enhanced with more relevant work experience than Swedish-named CVs. The results indicate a rev…
Do we need dual-process theory to understand implicit bias? A study of the nature of implicit bias against Muslims
Psychological dual-process theory has become increasingly popular among sociologists. The dual-process framework accounts for two types of thinking; a fast, associative, automatic or subconscious "System 1 thinking", and a slow, propositional and reflective "System 2 thinking". The insight that the former can also be empirically studied by sociologists has the potential to significantly improve sociological research. However, dual-process theory …
On the Methodological Difficulty of Identifying Implicit Racial Beliefs and Stereotypes
In "Status Characteristics, Implicit Bias, and the Production of Racial Inequality," Melamed, Munn, Barry, Montgomery, and Okuwobi present an innovative and intriguing study on social influence, status beliefs, and implicit racial bias. To capture status-based expectancies, the authors measure implicit racial status beliefs using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) with words related to high and low status. We identify an important flaw in the stu…
Diversity preferences among employees and ethnoracial workplace segregation
The scope and limits of implicit bias training
Implicit bias reduction has become an increasingly popular feature of so-called 'diversity training' in both public and private organizations. It remains popular, despite a lack of robust evidence suggesting that it is possible to accomplish lasting changes to individual implicit bias. In addition, previous research relies almost entirely on laboratory experiments; almost nothing is known about the scope of these findings. The present study aims …
Perceptions of discrimination against Muslims. A study of formal complaints against public institutions in Sweden
While discrimination in the labour market, housing and consumer domains has been studied extensively, discrimination against minorities by public institutions has thus far been a somewhat neglected issue. Still, it has a stratifying potential similar to that of labour market discrimination; public institutions distribute both common resources, services, and impose sanctions on citizens who do not conform to society’s rules and regulations. To ful…
Does employer discrimination contribute to the subordinate labor market inclusion of individuals of a foreign background
Advanced labor markets are typically stratified by origin with a majority ethnic group occupying more desirable (high-skilled) positions and subordinated ethnic minorities occupying less desirable (low-skilled) positions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether employer recruitment choices reinforce these patterns. This would be the case if employers were more reluctant to hire subordinate minority job applicants for high-skilled position…
Name change and destigmatization among Middle Eastern immigrants in Sweden
Research has shown that individuals in Sweden with foreign-sounding surnames who take on more Swedish-sounding or neutral surnames have a positive earnings progression compared to individuals who keep their foreign-sounding names. This article explores the strategies underlying these surname changes. I draw on forty-five interviews from a population of individuals with Middle Eastern backgrounds who changed surnames during the 1990s. Drawing on s…
The Multiple Burdens of Foreign-Named Men--Evidence from a Field Experiment on Gendered Ethnic Hiring Discrimination in Sweden
Scholars have documented ethnic and gender discrimination across labour markets since the 1970s by using field experiments (correspondence tests) in which pairs of equally qualified applications are sent to employers with job openings. In these experiments, discrimination is measured by documenting group differences in callbacks. However, the gendered nature of ethnic discrimination has been neglected thus far in this literature. Drawing on the r…
S weden
Ethnic relations and nationalist sentiments in Sweden have primarily evolved around two distinct phenomena: relations between native ethnic groups and relations between the dominant ethnic group and immigrant groups. Sweden is a multicultural society where ethnic Swedes constitute the ethnic majority. There are five national minority groups: Swedish Finns, Tornedal, Sami, Roma, and Jews. State relations toward its national minorities have been in…
The Reverse Gender Gap in Ethnic Discrimination
We examine differences in the intensity of employer stereotypes of men and women with Arabic names in Sweden by testing how much work experience is needed to eliminate the disadvantage of having an Arabic name on job applications. Employers are first sent curriculum vitaes (CVs) of equal merit in a field experiment setup. Arabic-named CVs are thereafter enhanced with more relevant work experience than Swedish-named CVs. The results indicate a rev…
Diversity preferences among employees and ethnoracial workplace segregation
On the Methodological Difficulty of Identifying Implicit Racial Beliefs and Stereotypes
In "Status Characteristics, Implicit Bias, and the Production of Racial Inequality," Melamed, Munn, Barry, Montgomery, and Okuwobi present an innovative and intriguing study on social influence, status beliefs, and implicit racial bias. To capture status-based expectancies, the authors measure implicit racial status beliefs using an Implicit Association Test (IAT) with words related to high and low status. We identify an important flaw in the stu…
Resisting assimilation – ethnic boundary maintenance among Jews in Sweden
This article evaluates Andreas Wimmer’s theory of ethnic boundary making by applying it to the maintenance of Jewish ethnic identification in Sweden, as expressed in interviews with Swedish Jews. Wimmer proposes that ethnic conflict routinizes and entrenches perceptions of ethnic difference; we argue that the antisemitic persecutions of the twentieth century have entrenched the perception of the ethnic distinctiveness of Jews among Jews themselve…
Do we need dual-process theory to understand implicit bias? A study of the nature of implicit bias against Muslims
Psychological dual-process theory has become increasingly popular among sociologists. The dual-process framework accounts for two types of thinking; a fast, associative, automatic or subconscious "System 1 thinking", and a slow, propositional and reflective "System 2 thinking". The insight that the former can also be empirically studied by sociologists has the potential to significantly improve sociological research. However, dual-process theory …
Perceptions of discrimination against Muslims. A study of formal complaints against public institutions in Sweden
While discrimination in the labour market, housing and consumer domains has been studied extensively, discrimination against minorities by public institutions has thus far been a somewhat neglected issue. Still, it has a stratifying potential similar to that of labour market discrimination; public institutions distribute both common resources, services, and impose sanctions on citizens who do not conform to society’s rules and regulations. To ful…
Does employer discrimination contribute to the subordinate labor market inclusion of individuals of a foreign background
Advanced labor markets are typically stratified by origin with a majority ethnic group occupying more desirable (high-skilled) positions and subordinated ethnic minorities occupying less desirable (low-skilled) positions. The aim of this paper is to investigate whether employer recruitment choices reinforce these patterns. This would be the case if employers were more reluctant to hire subordinate minority job applicants for high-skilled position…
After the algorithms
In recent years, both private and public organizations across contexts have begun implementing AI technologies in their recruitment processes. This transition is typically justified by improved efficiency as well as more objective, performance-based ranking, and inclusive selection of job candidates. However, this rapid development has also raised concerns that the use of these emerging technologies will instead increase discrimination or enhance…
The scope and limits of implicit bias training
Implicit bias reduction has become an increasingly popular feature of so-called 'diversity training' in both public and private organizations. It remains popular, despite a lack of robust evidence suggesting that it is possible to accomplish lasting changes to individual implicit bias. In addition, previous research relies almost entirely on laboratory experiments; almost nothing is known about the scope of these findings. The present study aims …
The making of ethnic segregation on the labor market—evidence from a field experiment
Western labor markets are typically segregated by country of birth, with immigrants often employed in roles such as cleaners, taxi drivers, and fast-food cooks. We examine whether employers are more likely to select immigrants for these low-skilled jobs. We use data from correspondence tests conducted in Sweden in the 2010s, with about 7,000 job applications submitted. While ethnic discrimination is widespread in occupations dominated by native-b…
Ethnic group (9 works) · Sociology (9 works) · Economics (7 works) · Political science (7 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Law (6 works) · Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research (5 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Anthropology (4 works) · Demographic economics (4 works)