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Mackenzie Alston

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Organizations involve people of different races, genders, ages, socioeconomic statuses, cultures, etc. As more research is conducted, we are learning more about how diversity benefits both employees and companies. What I appreciate about IZA World of Labor is that it provides a comprehensible review of some of the amazing and important work done on topics like diversity in the workplace

IZA World of Labor role

Author

Current position

Assistant Professor, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA

Research interest

Discrimination, gender, race, labor economics, education

Website

https://www.mackenziealston.com/

Past positions

Assistant Professor, Economics, Florida State University (2019–2022); Post-doctoral Fellow, National Bureau of Economics (2021–2022)

Qualifications

PhD Economics, Texas A&M, 2019

Selected publications

  • "The effect of stereotypes on black college test scores at a historically black university." Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 194 (2022): 408–424 (with W. Darity, C. Eckel, L. McNeil, and R. Sharpe).

  • "High-capacity donors’ preferences for charitable giving." Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly 50:6 (2021): 1262–1273 (with C. Eckel, J. Meer, and W. Zhan).

  • "The global COVID-19 student survey: First wave results." Covid Economics 79 (2021): 152–217 (with D. Jaeger, J. Arellano-Bover, K. Karbownik, M. Martínez-Matute, J. Nunley, A. Seals, and S. Becker).

  • "The effect of dropping lowest test scores on learning and performance." Equilibria 3 (2015): 13–18.

article(s)

  • Eliminating discrimination in hiring isn’t enough

    Firms interested in workplace diversity should consider the post-hiring stage and why some minority employees choose to leave

    Mackenzie Alston, May 2023
    While many firms have recognized the importance of recruiting and hiring diverse job applicants, they should also pay attention to the challenges newly hired diverse candidates may face after entering the company. It is possible that they are being assessed by unequal or unequitable standards compared to their colleagues, and they may not have sufficient access to opportunities and resources that would benefit them. These disparities could affect the career trajectory, performance, satisfaction, and retention of minority employees. Potential solutions include randomizing task assignments and creating inclusive networking and support opportunities.
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