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Day 3 of the 2025 Bristol Applied Economics Meetings (BÆM)! After two fantastic days on development economics, we continue with the meeting on “Gender, Diversity, and Human Capital”. Stay tuned for some excellent papers!

First up is Anna Hochleitner (@nhhecon.bsky.social). Using academic reference letters and two experiments, Anna shows that recommendation letters for women emphasize effort over ability, shaping hiring decisions. Recruiters often don’t realize the bias, undermining diversity efforts.

Why do sons more often take over the family firm than daughters? Using rich Finnish data, @cipriandomnisoru.bsky.social shows the gender gap starts early—with son-biased fertility, unequal grooming. Norms vary strongly by industry. Paper: docs.iza.org/dp17800.pdf

We continue with @leitemariante.bsky.social. Do unconditional cash transfers discourage work? Not for women in Brazil. A boost in benefits led more mothers to join the labor force, especially when it helps easing childcare burdens. Paper: drive.google.com/file/d/1ksDE...

@saraspaziani.bsky.social shows that gender quotas in Italian governments boosted female representation, and over time, strongly increased access to anti-violence services. Political representation can help to reduce gender-based violence.

Our keynote speaker Michèle Tertilt (@econunimannheim.bsky.social) provides a fascinating overview of the economics of women’s rights. Her findings illustrate the importance of economic forces for rights expansions, but also how the impact of these forces varies with culture.