22/11/2023 – Online Migration Seminar on Competitive Preferences Among different ethnic groups in the Netherlands

Do All Women Shy Away from Competition? Competitive Preferences Among different ethnic groups in the Netherlands


Özge Gökdemir (& Devrim Dumludag , Istanbul University, Marmara University & Maastricht University

Exploring the concept of the ethnic penalty sheds light on potential differences in competitive preferences. If individuals inclined toward competition tend to gravitate toward more competitive and higher-paying professions, we might anticipate that those from ethnic backgrounds would exhibit lower levels of competitiveness compared to native Dutch individuals. Particularly, women from non-Western backgrounds, who face a double penalty, could be expected to be the least competitive within this cohort. Drawing from data originating from two experiments conducted within the LISS framework, our study presents a unique examination of diverse ethnic minority groups, with a specific focus on females, within the Dutch context. Surprisingly, our findings reveal that non-Western women are more willing to compete compared to their Dutch and Western immigrant counterparts. However, this trend does not extend to the male participants in both groups.

About the speaker
Ozge Gokdemir is currently an Associate Professor at Istanbul University. Devrim Dumludag is currently a full-time Professor at Marmara University in Istanbul. Gokdemir’s primary areas of interest include behavioural economics, subjective well-being, and happiness economics. Dumludag’s primary areas of interest encompass Economic Development and Institutions, Behavioural Economics, and Happiness Economics.

Gokdemir and Dumludag are currently collaborating on two projects at Maastricht University.

The first project, titled “Ethnicity and Leadership in the Netherlands,” focuses on the internal mechanisms that ethnic minorities experience concerning their ability to attain top-level positions in the Netherlands. The central question of this project is whether the leadership motivation of non-Western migrants is inherent or shaped by the society they live in, which requires further exploration. The second project, titled “Trust, Social Contact, and Integration in a Diverse Society,” aims to investigate patterns of trust and social contact among Turkish immigrants and natives in the Netherlands. This research proposal seeks answers to the following questions using laboratory experiments and field research: Is there discrimination based on ethnicity? Are group favouritism and discrimination based on ethnicity evident? Does taste-based exclusion occur? How does social contact influence the level of trust, and are there significant differences between groups?

Venue: https://maastrichtuniversity.zoom.us/j/81147955013
Date: 22 November 2023
Time: 15:00 – 16:00  CET

To see the event on the UNU-MERIT website, please click here.