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To Whom It May Concern: Demographic Differences in Letters of Recommendation, No. 24-35

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To Whom It May Concern: Demographic Differences in Letters of Recommendation, No. 24-35

DATE: November 2024

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ABSTRACT: Letters of recommendation from faculty advisors play a critical role in the job market for Ph.D. economists. At their best, they can convey important qualitative information about a candidate, including the candidate's potential to generate impactful research. But at their worst, these letters offer a subjective view of the candidate that can be susceptible to conscious or unconscious bias. There may also be similarity or affinity bias, a particularly difficult issue for the economics profession, where most faculty members are White men. In this post, we draw on our recent working paper to describe how recommendation letters differ by the gender, race or ethnicity of the job candidate and how these differences are related to early career outcomes.

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Hirtle, Beverly J. and Kovner, Anna. "To Whom It May Concern: Demographic Differences in Letters of Recommendation, No. 24-35," Economic Brief (November 2024). https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/6034/item/679783, accessed on June 22, 2025.

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