ABSTRACT
Although studies have shown ethnic discrimination in the sharing economy, there is surprisingly little research about discrimination on Airbnb. As the first correspondence study after the anti-discrimination directive launched by Airbnb in 2016, we examine to which extent there is still ethnic discrimination against guests on Airbnb. We conducted 1043 correspondence tests on the Airbnb platform in Belgium during the Covid-summer of 2021. Guests with Moroccan-sounding names have 6.9% lower acceptance rates than those with Belgian-sounding names, while there is no discrimination against guests of Polish origin. Non-professional Airbnb hosts tend to discriminate much less than professional hosts. The ethnic difference in acceptance rates between Belgian and Moroccan guests accrues to 14.7% among professional hosts, while there is no discrimination by non-professional hosts. Moreover, revealing the vaccination status of the guest does not impact the level of discrimination. These findings suggest that the anti-discrimination policy of Airbnb is insufficient. © 2022 The Authors
ABSTRACT
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the spatial distribution of different types of Airbnb hosts – based on a novel typology – and to investigate their association with neighbourhood characteristics in Brussels. Design/methodology/approach: This study describes the location of Airbnb dwellings across the types of hosts and use spatial tests to compare their distributions to the traditional hospitality industry. With regression models, this study examines the relationship between the provision of Airbnb listings and neighbourhood indicators. Findings: While different types of hosts offer their listings in the same urban space, they also cover different areas and exhibit different clustering processes. Their locations are associated with structural, socio-economic and demographic neighbourhood characteristics that vary across the types and provide support for the new typology. Research limitations/implications: This study focuses on the type of Airbnb hosts and their listings in one year, 2019. It would be worthwhile to apply the typology to other cities and to observe how the distributions change over time, including the period of the COVID-19 pandemic. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this paper is the first to suggest a finer typology of Airbnb hosts than the regular distinction into professional and non-professional types and reveals how hosts differ in the location of their Airbnbs. © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited.
ABSTRACT
We use ghost matches induced by Covid19 in the Bundesliga, Germany's top two football (soccer) divisions, to investigate whether audiences affect referees. We find that pre-Covid19 referees gave fewer fouls and yellow cards for the home team relative to the away team. These differences in fouls and cards changed during the ghost matches so that home teams were treated less favorably than before. This effect is concentrated in matches where support for the away team is particularly weak. The results provide evidence for a home bias in referee decisions through social pressure. (C) 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V.