Carousel Start

Bridging research and practice to sparq change

Stanford SPARQ is a “do tank” that partners with industry leaders to tackle disparities and inspire culture change using insights from behavioral science. We work in criminal justice, economic mobility, education, and health.

Home

Featured

SPARQ and Illumen Capital Publish New Paper on Racial Biases in Investing

Of the $69.1 trillion global financial assets under management across mutual funds, hedge funds, real estate, and private equity, fewer than 1.3% are managed by women and people of color. In the first study of its kind, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Stanford SPARQ and impact investment firm Illumen Capital asked why this powerful, elite industry is so racially homogeneous.

Our research team conducted an online experiment with real asset allocators (i.e., those who manage and invest funds) to determine whether and how bias influences evaluations of funds led by people of color across different levels of performance.

Click here to learn more about our findings and recommendations for diversifying the industry.

News

Racial Disparities in Investing Are More Than a Pipeline Problem

Monday, August 12, 2019

SPARQ and impact investment firm Illumen Capital partnered to explore the factors that drive racial disparities in investing. Our new paper, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows evidence that race plays a role in professional investors' judgments.

Jennifer Eberhardt Interviewed for the Aspen Ideas Festival, San Francisco Chronicle, and More

Monday, July 15, 2019

The Biased book tour is still in full swing! SPARQ co-director Jennifer Eberhardt is on the road, making appearances at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the San Francisco Chronicle, and more.