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on Minorities Research (Ethnic, LGBTQ+, Disabilities) |
| By: | Jennifer Cohen; Yana Rodgers |
| Abstract: | Background. Long COVID symptoms (which include brain fog, depression, and fatigue) are mild at best and debilitating at worst. Some U.S. health surveys have found that women, lower income individuals, and those with less education are overrepresented among adults with long COVID, but these studies do not address intersectionality. Methods. We use 10 rounds of Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data from 2022 to 2023 to perform an intersectional analysis using descriptive statistics that evaluate the prevalence of long COVID and the interference of long COVID symptoms with day-to-day activities. We also estimate multivariate logistic regressions that relate the odds of having long COVID and activity limitations due to long COVID to a set of individual characteristics and intersections by sex, race/ethnicity, education, and sexual orientation and gender identity. Results. Women, some people of color, sexual and gender minorities, and people without college degrees are more likely to have long COVID and to have activity limitations from long COVID. Intersectional analysis reveals a striking step-like pattern: college-educated men have the lowest prevalence of long COVID while women without college educations have the highest prevalence. Daily activity limitations are more evenly distributed across demographics, but a different step-like pattern is present: fewer women with degrees have activity limitations while limitations are more widespread among men without degrees. Regression results confirm the negative association of long COVID with being a woman, less educated, Hispanic, and a sexual and gender minority, while results for the intersectional effects are more nuanced. Conclusions. Results point to systematic disparities in health, highlighting the need for policies that increase access to quality healthcare, strengthen the social safety net, and reduce economic precarity. |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2603.03465 |
| By: | Shih-Keng Yen; Ernesto F. L. Amaral |
| Abstract: | Drawing on American Community Survey data, this study examines how whites’ relative socioeconomic standing vis-à-vis nonwhite neighbors affects the association between minority presence and white out-mobility. Moving beyond the racial preferences versus racial proxy debate, we integrate group competition and contact theories with status theory to conceptualize “racial status” as whites’ first-order income rank relative to the subgroup status of Black, Hispanic, and Asian residents at the census tract level. Multilevel linear probability models show that whites lacking advantaged status are generally more likely to move. However, the positive association between Black or Asian concentration and white departure is weaker among status-disadvantaged whites, while the negative association with Hispanic concentration is stronger. These patterns lend greater support to contact theory than to group competition theory. By foregrounding relative status, the study demonstrates that racial and socioeconomic mechanisms are intertwined in shaping white residential mobility. |
| Keywords: | White out-mobility, racial status, residential segregation, group competition and contact theory, neighborhood racial composition |
| JEL: | R23 J15 Z13 D31 J61 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:wpaper:26-19 |
| By: | Gershoni, Naomi (Ben Gurion University); Stryjan, Miri (Aalto University School of Business) |
| Abstract: | Online instruction can expand access to education for disadvantaged groups, yet it often deepens performance gaps. We study its impact on high-stakes exam outcomes using administrative data on five cohorts of students in 31 Israeli vocational colleges and the abrupt shift to online instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this setting, exams were held in person and graded centrally, ensuring comparability to pre-pandemic performance. A difference-in-differences design comparing outcomes within students and across cohorts shows significant declines in exam attendance and demonstrated knowledge after the switch to online instruction. These effects are not explained by local infection rates or childcare responsibilities and are especially pronounced among Arabic-speaking minority students, regardless of socioeconomic status. Drawing on variation in infrastructure, residential crowdedness, language of instruction, and prior academic performance we identify poor internet access as a key mechanism. In addition, while the negative effects on majority students are concentrated among lower-performing students, for minority students the effects are, if anything, larger among high achievers. |
| Keywords: | online instruction, education and inequality. minorities, vocational education, higher education, COVID-19 |
| JEL: | I21 I23 I24 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18445 |
| By: | Natalia Montinari; Matteo Ploner; Veronica Rattini |
| Abstract: | This paper studies whether alternative integration-policy framings affect cooperation in ethnically diverse groups. We conduct a lab-in-the-field experiment with 390 adolescents in mixed classrooms in Italy. Within each class, students were randomly assigned to small groups that received either a neutral condition, a common-identity framing emphasizing shared school belonging, or a multicultural framing highlighting family origins and local cultural diversity, and then played a repeated public goods game with and without punishment. In the neutral condition, students with an immigrant background contributed about 17 percent more than natives. Framing diversity through a multicultural lens increased natives' contributions by about 13 percent relative to their baseline level, nearly eliminating the initial cooperation gap, whereas the common-identity framing had no detectable effect. When punishment was introduced, treatment effects on contributions became small, but multicultural framing increased the sanctioning of free riders, particularly among natives. The results suggest that cooperation in diverse settings depends not only on minority integration but also on how majority-group members respond to diversity. Policies that recognize multicultural identities, rather than emphasizing generic shared belonging alone, can strengthen cooperative norms in heterogeneous environments. |
| JEL: | C93 D91 J15 Z13 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bol:bodewp:wp1219 |
| By: | Krishna, Eashwar; Nagan, Theja Suresh |
| Abstract: | Background: Environmental justice scholarship has documented racialized inequities in urban contexts, but rural America remains understudied despite its distinct geographies of infrastructure, access, and exposure. This study addresses how racial composition relates to the built and natural environment across nonmetropolitan counties. We argue that rural inequality is best understood through the lenses of spatial justice, structural racism, and environmental justice as a systematic lack of amenities and resources shaped by race, class, and geography. Methods: The analytic sample included 1, 965 nonmetropolitan counties (USDA RUCC ≥ 4). We compiled indicators of the built environment (park access, exercise opportunities, traffic volume, commute times, broadband access, severe housing problems, primary care shortages) and natural environment (PM2.5 exposure, frequency of adverse climate events). Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we derived a Rural Structural Environmental Disparity Index (RSEDI). The RSEDI loads most strongly on deficits in exercise opportunities, traffic connectivity, parks, primary care, broadband, and housing quality, capturing a multidimensional pattern of deprivation. We estimated OLS regression models with robust standard errors clustered by state. Analyses were conducted at the national level, stratified by rurality (RUCC codes) and Census regions, and supplemented with Moran’s I to assess spatial clustering. Results: At the national level, counties with larger Black populations had higher disparity scores (β ≈ 0.12), while those with larger Asian populations had lower scores (β ≈ –0.10). Hispanic and Native American/Alaska Native shares showed weaker or null effects once socioeconomic status and rurality were included. Stratified models revealed sharp geographic contingency. Racial disparities were concentrated in the South, where Black population share strongly predicted higher RSEDI. In the Midwest and New England, however, the association reversed sign, suggesting divergent histories of settlement, policy, and resource allocation. In contrast, the negative association with Asian population share was consistent across nearly all regions. Discussion: The findings highlight that structural inequality in rural America cannot be reduced to a single rural–urban gradient. Instead, rural environmental disparity reflects two simultaneous disadvantages: the remoteness of isolation and the neglect of peripheral zones on metropolitan edges. Policy interventions must target both infrastructural capacity (parks, exercise facilities, broadband, primary care) and systemic vulnerability to climate and environmental stressors. Ultimately, our results show that the landscapes of rural inequality are not uniform but geographically contingent, requiring nuanced interventions attuned to region, race, and rurality. |
| Date: | 2026–03–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:rvj6d_v1 |
| By: | Hugh-Jones, Samuel (University of Manchester); Bone, Jessica Katherine (University College London); Wilding, Anna; Sutton, Matt; Humphrey, Neil; Munford, Luke |
| Abstract: | Background: There is growing evidence of links between arts and creative activities and mental health, particularly in adolescents. However, methodologically stronger evidence is needed. Using causal inference methods, this study examined whether day-to-day arts engagement can improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing. Methods: The sample included N=13, 058 (42.6% girls, 12-15y) individuals from the #BeeWell study, a longitudinal study of adolescents in Greater Manchester (UK). Inverse probability weighting with regression adjustment was used to assess the effect of engagement with six different arts and creative activities on subsequent internalising symptoms and life satisfaction, conditioning on baseline outcomes and covariates. Results: Engaging in any arts or creative activity several times or more a year led to increased life satisfaction. Going to the cinema or theatre (but not other activities) resulted in decreased subsequent internalising symptoms. Effects on both outcomes did not differ by the number of different activities young people engaged in or the frequency of engagement. No significant differences were observed across socio-economic status, gender, or ethnicity. Conclusions: Regular engagement with arts and creative activities can improve adolescent life satisfaction. Specific activities can reduce internalising symptoms. The absence of moderation effects across subgroups indicates these activities could confer universal benefit. Increasing opportunities to engage in arts and creative activities is an effective way to improve adolescent mental health and wellbeing without widening inequalities. |
| Date: | 2026–03–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:4vxhs_v1 |
| By: | Bhalotra, Sonia (University of Warwick, CAGE, IFS, CEPR, Rockwool Foundation, CESifo, IEA, IZA); Ridley, Matthew (University of Warwick, CAGE and IZA) |
| Abstract: | Workplace sexual harassment is highly prevalent and harms women and the economy. We survey the UK population to provide the first estimates under a single definition of the prevalence of sexual harassment, its harms, people's awareness of sexual harassment law, and indicators of policy effectiveness including reporting and redressal. In a separate survey, we elicit participants' beliefs over these quantities and document the distribution of beliefs. We then experimentally vary information on prevalence, harms and policy (in)effectiveness and estimate impacts on indicators of stated and revealed preferences for policy and civil society action. Finally, we compare policymakers’ beliefs with citizens'. |
| Keywords: | JEL Classification: |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cge:wacage:797 |
| By: | Pestieau, Pierre (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium) |
| Abstract: | As the demand for old age long-term care (LTC) continues to grow, it becomes crucial to evaluate the roles of its traditional providers: the state, the market, and the family. Initially, this book focuses on recent research concerning the contributions of families and the marketplace. Subsequently, recognizing the diminishing involvement of families and the limited role of market solutions in addressing LTC needs, it turns its attention to a series of studies that investigate the formulation of public policies aimed at supporting elderly individuals who are without family support and lack sufficient resources. These policies are designed to leverage both market mechanisms and family resources to create a comprehensive support system for the dependent elderly. Additionally, this book explores how different countries, particularly in Europe and North America, address disability and dependence within their LTC systems, revealing a diverse range of strategies and solutions. This comparative analysis helps identify effective practices and areas needing further attention in the structuring of social insurance and support systems. Through this exploration, we aim to foster a deeper understanding of how social norms and family solidarity influence LTC provision and how these elements can be integrated into more robust public policy frameworks. |
| Keywords: | Long-term care ; dependence ; social insurance ; family solidarity ; social norms |
| JEL: | I11 I12 I18 J14 |
| Date: | 2025–08–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2026001 |
| By: | Perelman, Sergio (Université de Liège); Pestieau, Pierre (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium) |
| Abstract: | The relationship between informal and formal care for disabled elderly individuals -whether they function as substitutes or complements- represents a fundamental question for optimizing public resource allocation in aging societies. We develop a theoretical framework demonstrating that long-term care (LTC) policy design hinges critically on this relationship. Using data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), we provide empirical evidence to address this pivotal question. |
| Keywords: | Long term care ; informal versus formal care ; social insurance |
| JEL: | H I |
| Date: | 2025–06–14 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2025016 |
| By: | Nishimura, Y. (University of Osaka); Pestieau, Pierre (Université catholique de Louvain, LIDAM/CORE, Belgium) |
| Abstract: | As income rises, the risk of disability in old age declines, while life expectancy increases. These correlations strengthen the case for public long-term care (LTC) insurance over public pension systems. However, this perspective shifts when considering family solidarity—specifically, the informal care provided by spouses and children to elderly relatives. When viewed through the lens of altruistic caregiving motives, the argument for social LTC insurance becomes more nuanced. The interplay between formal and informal care is a key factor in shaping optimal policy. In this paper, we demonstrate that when family members reliably provide informal care, the design of a comprehensive public LTC system depends on the existence of a private insurance and on the degree of substitutability between informal and formal care. |
| Keywords: | Long-term care ; mortality risk ; disability risk ; informal care |
| JEL: | H2 H5 |
| Date: | 2025–06–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cor:louvco:2025012 |
| By: | dos Santos, Ana Paula Lima; de Gomes Filho, Frederico Augusto Auad |
| Abstract: | Esta meta-revisão sistemática analisa a implementação da Política Nacional de Saúde Integral de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis e Transexuais (PNSILGBT) e sua eficácia na redução das barreiras de acesso dessa população ao Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS). Os resultados indicam que, embora a política represente um avanço normativo e institucional significativo, sua implementação é frequentemente fragmentada, inconsistente e dependente de iniciativas locais ou individuais. |
| Date: | 2026–03–20 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:uf54r_v1 |