Noise in Suitability Assessments

Discretionary assessments can lead to disparities in the treatment of equal situations due to differences in assessment practices among evaluators. For example, imprecise formulations of criteria that lay the basis for suitability assessments may lead to variations in how these are operationalized among individuals and institutions. This article discusses suitability assessments with a particular focus on Norway, employing Kahneman et al.’s (2021) framework of noisy systems. I explore how both systematic biases and seemingly random differences in assessment practices (noise) can impact the welfare of students and individuals they may come across in their professional lives. Additionally, I show how noise reduction can potentially impact these issues, also presenting methods for measuring the extent of noise and bias as well as the effects of noise-reducing policies.