Diversity and Inclusion
A Simple Thumbs Up or Down Eliminates Racial Bias in Online Ratings
Yale SOM’s Tristan Botelho and his co-authors found that the ubiquitous five-star rating system could subtly propagate discrimination. But they also found a surprisingly simple fix: switching to a two-point scale (thumbs up or thumbs down) eliminated subtle racial bias in customer ratings of gig workers.

Making the ‘Business Case for Diversity’ Can Backfire with Underrepresented Groups
Many companies say that they are committed to diversity because it boosts firm performance. In a new study, Oriane Georgeac at Yale SOM and Aneeta Rattan at London Business School find that this explanation can have detrimental consequences for the very applicants that companies seek to attract.
The Past and Present of Race, Money, and Equity in America
Journalists Louise Story ’06 and Ebony Reed argue that understanding the grim history of race and money in the United States is key to building a more equitable future.
Medicare Helps Close Racial Gaps in Access to Healthcare
In a new study, Yale SOM’s Paul Goldsmith-Pinkham and his co-authors use the transition to Medicare eligibility to test whether universal health coverage can help reduce racial disparities in health.
How the Philadelphia Schools Confronted Systemic Racism
William Hite, Philadelphia’s superintendent of schools, describes how the system sought to create an inclusive process for rooting racism out of its structures.
A Look Back at 2021 through Our Top Stories
This year, many of our most-read stories examined facets of the continuing COVID-19 pandemic, including the challenges of vaccination, the return to in-person work, the effectiveness of masks, and the bottleneck in the supply chain.
What Activists Want from Allies
In a new study, Yale SOM’s Michael Kraus and PhD graduate Jun Won Park found that activists working for social change value allies who are trustworthy and willing to defer to activists’ leadership.
Can Bias Be Eliminated from Algorithms?
The predictive software used to automate decision-making often discriminates against disadvantaged groups. A new approach devised by Soheil Ghili at Yale SOM and his colleagues could significantly reduce bias while still giving accurate results.
Numbers, Not Narratives, Remedy Misperceptions of the Racial Wealth Gap
A series of studies co-authored by Yale SOM’s Michael Kraus have shown that Americans vastly underestimate the wealth gap facing Black Americans. The latest research shows that detailed data is more effective than personal narratives in improving their understanding.
Black and Latinx Conservatives ‘Upshift’ Competence to White Audiences
A new study by Yale SOM’s Cydney Dupree finds that when politically conservative Black and Latinx Americans speak in mostly White settings, they are more likely than their liberal counterparts to adopt language associated with power, status, and ability.
The Fight for Healthcare Equity after COVID-19
Dr. Cecelia Calhoun ’21, a Yale physician with a focus on sickle cell disease, and Yale SOM’s Dr. Howard Forman discuss the gargantuan but critical challenge of addressing the impact of systemic racism on the health of Black Americans.