Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/202918 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Series/Report no.: 
Working Papers No. 18-2
Publisher: 
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Boston, MA
Abstract: 
This paper investigates supply-side discrimination in the labor market for Boston taxi drivers. Using data on millions of trips from 2010-2015, I explore whether the labor supply behavior of taxi drivers differs by the gender, racial/ethnic, or age composition of Boston neighborhoods. I find that disparities in shift hours due to neighborhood demographics exist even when differences in local earnings opportunities are taken into account. I observe heterogeneity in the amount that drivers discriminate and find that this discrimination is primarily statistical rather than taste-based. As drivers gain experience and learn to better anticipate wage variation, discrimination decreases.
Subjects: 
discrimination
labor supply
Boston taxis
wage elasticity
JEL: 
J71
J22
J31
L91
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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