Empirical contribution to the evaluation of national origin discrimination in the French labor market.

Summary The specificity of the data required to assess national origin discrimination in the labor market makes understanding this phenomenon difficult. In this thesis, we mobilize data from controlled experiments as well as original survey data to contribute to this understanding. After synthesizing existing studies, we attempt to estimate the effects of characteristics overrepresented among individuals of foreign origin on the probability of obtaining a job interview. Two characteristics are specifically examined: religious proximity and employment status. We investigate whether the impact of national origin is conditional on the latter. We then observe whether the possession of a characteristic that signals high productivity reduces discrimination in hiring related to national origin. Finally, we try to take into account the perverse effects that the feeling of having been discriminated against because of their national origin may have on the characteristics and performance of individuals of foreign origin. Their situation on the labor market but also the opinions and performances of their children are analyzed. Our results suggest the presence of statistical discrimination, but also of discrimination linked to preferences. The feeling of having been discriminated against because of one's national origin, whether it is true or not, may have an impact on the unobservable characteristics of individuals of foreign origin and modify the performance of their children. In such a context, increasing the cost of discrimination as well as implementing awareness-raising policies seem necessary.