Professor Coffman studies the sources of gender gaps in economically-important contexts, and on designing and testing policies aimed at closing them. Her work focuses on the role of beliefs: how do stereotypes bias the beliefs that individuals hold about themselves (and others), and how do these biased beliefs shape decision-making?

Much of her work is related to the observation that good ideas and good candidates are only valuable when they are put forward. A student who is unsure of an answer on a test can only answer correctly if he is willing to submit his best guess rather than skip the question. An expert can only improve a corporate board’s decision if she is willing to speak up with her opinion about the best path forward. A firm can only promote the best candidate if she applies for the opening. Thus, being willing to assert one’s self and one’s ideas, particularly in the face of uncertainty, is a critical factor in determining outcomes at the individual, team, and firm level. Her work has shown that beliefs are the key ingredient in these decisions, and that these beliefs are often biased.

Professor Coffman is an experimental researcher, who draws insights from field data and practitioners to form research questions that she analyzes in the controlled setting of the laboratory. Through careful experimental design, she aims to isolate the forces that underlie these interesting field phenomena, to quantify the impact of these forces on the efficiency and equity of outcomes, and to test a variety of potential policy interventions. Her work provides valuable insights for managers and policy-makers looking to design more equitable, and efficient, processes for evaluating, recruiting, and promoting talent.