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Criminal record and employability in Ghana: A vignette experimental study

Akoensi, Thomas D, Tankebe, Justice (2024) Criminal record and employability in Ghana: A vignette experimental study. The Howard Journal of Crime and Justice, . ISSN 2059-1098. E-ISSN 2059-1101. (doi:10.1111/hojo.12561) (KAR id:105864)

Abstract

Using an experimental vignette design, the study investigates the effects of criminal records on the hiring decisions of a convenience sample of 221 human resource (HR) managers in Ghana. The HR managers were randomly assigned to read one of four vignettes depicting job seekers of different genders and criminal records: male with and without criminal record, female with and without criminal record. The evidence shows that a criminal record reduces employment opportunities for female offenders but not for their male counterparts. Additionally, HR managers are willing to offer interviews to job applicants, irrespective of their criminal records, if they expect other managers to hire ex-convicts. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1111/hojo.12561
Uncontrolled keywords: criminal record; employment; experiment; human resource (HR); managers; vignettes
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research
Funders: University of Kent (https://ror.org/00xkeyj56)
Depositing User: Thomas Akoensi
Date Deposited: 06 May 2024 19:03 UTC
Last Modified: 05 Nov 2024 13:11 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/105864 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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