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J'Accuse! Antisemitism and Financial Markets in the Time of the Dreyfus Affair

Author

Listed:
  • Quoc-Anh Do

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research)

  • Roberto Galbiati

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research)

  • Benjamin Marx

    (ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Miguel Ortiz Serrano

    (UC3M - Universidad Carlos III de Madrid [Madrid], University of Sussex)

Abstract

This paper studies discrimination in financial markets in the context of the "Dreyfus Affair" in 19th century France. We analyze the market performance of firms with Jewish board members during this historical episode. Building on empirical evidence and a model with antisemitic and unbiased agents, we show how investors betting on firms with Jewish connections earned higher returns during the media campaign organized to rehabilitate Dreyfus, the unfairly accused Jewish officer at the center of the Affair. Our paper provides novel evidence that discrimination can affect stock prices and create rents for some market participants. While these rents may attract betting against discriminators, the uncertainty surrounding discriminatory beliefs can limit the extent of arbitrage and allow discrimination to survive in the long run.

Suggested Citation

  • Quoc-Anh Do & Roberto Galbiati & Benjamin Marx & Miguel Ortiz Serrano, 2020. "J'Accuse! Antisemitism and Financial Markets in the Time of the Dreyfus Affair," SciencePo Working papers hal-03389173, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpspec:hal-03389173
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-03389173v2
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Antisemitism; Financial Markets; Discrimination;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J15 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • N23 - Economic History - - Financial Markets and Institutions - - - Europe: Pre-1913
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G41 - Financial Economics - - Behavioral Finance - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making in Financial Markets

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