Categorization Systems of Organizational Stigma in Work Contexts

The thesis addresses the topic of alternative systems of categorization of organizational stigma and how organizational stigma changes and is managed depending on the audience’s perceptions. Chapters 1 and 2 are theory-based and represent the theoretical section of the thesis. Chapter 1 is a literature review on categorization models of organizational stigma in work contexts, proposing a new multidimensional, multilevel, and multitype model. Chapter 2 connects Chapter 1 with the empirical section, which includes Chapters 3 and 4. Indeed, Chapter 2 aims to read the categorization model of organizational stigma in the context of PES, identifying possible levels and types of organizational stigma threatening these services. Finally, Chapters 3 and 4 investigate and test empirically the insights that we developed in the theoretical section, triangulating qualitative and quantitative information through fieldwork and new measurements.