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Barbara Kiviat

PhD Candidate in Sociology and Social Policy, Harvard University
Chapter Member: Boston SSN
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About Barbara

Kiviat's research explores how ideas about right and wrong underpin market activity, and the consequences for how economic resources are allocated in society. Recent research examines how employers use credit reports in making hiring decisions and how insurance regulators decide whether it's fair for insurance companies to use new sorts of personal data in pricing policies. Previously, Kiviat was a staff writer at Time magazine. 

Contributions | No Jargon Podcast | In the News | Publications

Contributions

How Do Employers Use Credit Reports in Hiring Decisions – and How Can the Process Be Improved

Key Findings Brief,

Publications

"Disparate Impact? Race, Sex, and Credit Reports in Hiring" (with Rourke L. O'Brien). Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World 4 (2018).

Finds that including a bad credit report in a job candidate's application materials disproportionately hurts the employment chances of female (versus male) and black (versus white) candidates. 

"The Art of Deciding with Data: Evidence from How Employers Translate Credit Reports into Hiring Decisions" Socio-Economic Review (2017).

Offers the first in-depth look at how employers use credit reports in making hiring decisions. Draws on interviews with hiring professionals.