Researches

We examine the power of media narratives to counter racial prejudice by analyzing the emergence of socially inclusive motifs in post-WWII U.S. media. We exploit an unprecedented natural experiment: in 1946, amid widespread and entrenched racial divisions, the popular children’s radio series The Adventures of Superman abruptly began promoting equality by reframing plots around progressive themes. This shift generated exogenous variation in exposure to progressive narratives across cohorts and locations. We find that exposure to these narratives significantly contributed to the advancement of civil rights in subsequent decades, increasing support for civil rights, pushing political preferences towards progressive positions, and reducing voting in favor of segregation. However, the effects on racial assimilation remain limited.

Large Language Models (LLMs) are transforming the labor market, including hiring decisions. This paper examines their impact on the signals job-seekers send to potential employers through two field experiments focusing on cover letters. We find that LLMs enhance signal quality, especially benefiting lower-quality applicants, yet these gains do not boost interview invitations because they are concentrated in standardized, less influential sections of the cover letter. When recruiters learn of LLM usage, they place greater value on high-quality, human-crafted letters. Hence, LLMs reduce the informativeness of signals, potentially increasing inefficiencies in labor market matching as estimated by a calibrated structural model.