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Prof. Eliana La Ferrara

Bocconi University, Milan, Italy

Authors: Justine Burns, Lucia Corno and Eliana La Ferrara

Abstract: We exploit random assignment of roommates in double rooms at University of Cape Town to investigate whether interaction with a person of a different race affects stereotypes, inter-ethnic attitudes, cooperative behavior and academic performance. Our outcomes include Implicit Association Tests (IATs), survey-based measures, experimental games and administrative records. We find that living with a roommate of a different race significantly reduces white students' prejudice towards blacks, as measured by the IAT. We also find increases in inter-racial interactions among friends and study-mates. The reduction in stereotypes is accompanied by a more general tendency to cooperate, as measured in a prisoner's dilemma game and by participation in volunteering activities. We also show important effects of integration on academic outcomes: blacks who share the room with a non-black student significantly improve their GPA, pass more exams and have lower dropout rates. The positive effect on performance among black students is not driven by the ability of the roommate and is stronger the lower the degree of prejudice of the roommate. This suggests that stereotypes may act as barriers to the extent of interaction and communication among peers, so that the effect of exposure to another student with a certain ability will differ depending on that student's race and on his or her prejudice.

Full Text:  “Interaction, Stereotypes and Performance. Evidence from South Africa”