Skip to main content

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.‌‌

An illustration of people wearing glasses in the shape of thumbs up and thumbs down
  • 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.

    An illustration showing a graph of profits and a group of people of different ethnic backgrounds
  • 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.

    A map of New Haven with sections in red, yellow, blue and red
  • 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.

    An elderly Black man in conversation with a doctor
  • 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.

    William Hite at a press conference in 2014
  • 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.

    A collage of drawings and photographs from articles
  • 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.

    A White protester standing behind a Black protester, both with fists raised.
  • 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.

    A graphic showing data being processed
  • 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.

    A $100 bill torn into two sections
  • 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.

    Senator Tim Scott, Republican of South Carolina, speaking to the media with Governor Nikki Haley and Senator Lindsey Graham at a 2013 groundbreaking event. Photo: Gerry Melendez/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images.
  • 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.

    Vaccine outreach worker Herman Simmons talks to Theopulis Polk at a Chicago laundromat in March 2021.