Research project From having been considered an essential feature of pre-modern societies, family networks still play an important role for finding and getting a job, and previous studies indicate that the role of family networks has even increased in importance despite increased formalization and institutional arrangements aiming to make the recruitment process more transparent.
This project will analyze the prevalence and impact of family relations in Swedish workplaces. In particular, we aim to advance existing knowledge by (i) assessing the role of extended family networks (not only parents) to measure the potential kinship bias that may structure who gets a job and who does not, (ii) estimate how kinship bias may influence firm performance by also considering sector, location and other social divisions such as gender, age and ethnicity, and how this has changed over time (1960-2010), and (iii) asking informants whether they perceive kin related recruitment as successful or problematic.
The Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences, 2014-2016: SEK 3,900,000
