American University in Cairo
Mon 6, 1-2pm (online webinar): “Understanding Gender Biases in Job Referrals”, in this ERSS session, Ernesto Reuben, professor of economics, New York University - Abu Dhabi, will talk about job referrals through informal networks are an important channel for disseminating information about the qualifications of job candidates. As such, they play a crucial role in determining the outcomes of hiring and promotion decisions. In his paper, Reuben studies gender biases in the referral process. He investigates this question through an online experiment in which university students are asked to nominate their highest-scoring classmates in math or verbal tasks. Using administrative data, he reconstructs the students’ co-enrollment network. This allows him to identify who is chosen as well as everyone else who was not. In other words, he can measure the quality of the referrals and the characteristics of candidates who are better but not chosen. The preliminary results show that participants are more likely to refer men than equally qualified women in math but not verbal tasks. ERSS is a monthly event that aims to discuss economics research work in progress that is relevant to the Arab region. The link is https://e.cglink.me/2kZ/r300061669
Mon 6, 7-8pm: “Kiva: Expanding Financial Access in the Middle East”, join this Gerhart Center Webinar Series session featuring Lev Plaves, director of investments at Kiva, the world’s largest crowdfunding platform for social good.
Plaves will speak about Kiva’s work in the Middle East, specifically on how the unique nature of their crowdfunding platform has helped catalyze innovation in partnership with microfinance institutions in the region. He will cover Kiva’s efforts reaching refugee populations and highlight how Kiva is now working to scale its efforts through the launch of Kiva Capital.
Italian Cultural Institute
Italy has been celebrating the 700th anniversary of the passing of Dante Alighieri. Also, the Italian Institute continues to post videos in Arabic with translations from Dante Alighieri’s masterpiece The Divine Comedy to bring the Arab-speaking public closer to the work of the supreme poet. Videos are directed by Giabluca Barbadori, with the special participation of Ashraf Farouk, Amir Salaheddin, Sherine Hegazy, and Sara El-Mokadem.
*A version of this article appears in print in the 2 December, 2021 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly.
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