The Costs of Affirmative Action: Evidence from a Medical School Lottery

Lotteries are often proposed as a means to promote equality of opportunity, for example in the case of admission to medical school. However, that is not the only way in which inequality of opportunity can be combated, and certainly not the most effective. An alternative method is to reserve places for specific groups, such as men or people with a migration background, and then select the most suitable candidates from each group. This approach ensures that effective selection can take place, while at the same time promoting diversity.

For more information, see the Discussion Paper (English), or the ESB article (Dutch) based on the research.