Devah Pager

Devah Pager was the Peter & Isabel Malkin Professor of Sociology & Public Policy at Harvard University. Pager’s research focused on institutions affecting racial stratification, including education, labor markets, and the criminal justice system.

Her work involved a series of field experiments studying discrimination against minorities and ex-offenders in the low-wage labor market. Her book, Marked: Race, Crime, and Finding Work in an Era of Mass Incarceration, investigated the racial and economic consequences of large-scale imprisonment for contemporary U.S. labor markets.

Other projects examined the longer-term consequences of labor market discrimination for job seekers and employers, self-selection in job search, the organizational bases of discrimination, and the long-term consequences of legal debt. Dr. Pager passed away on November 2, 2018.