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on Minorities Research (Ethnic, LGBTQ+, Disabilities) |
| By: | Devos, Louise (Ghent University); Lippens, Louis (Ghent University); Baert, Stijn (Ghent University); Verhaeghe, Pieter-Paul (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) |
| Abstract: | While extensive empirical research documents discrimination in labour and housing markets, comparative insights between these markets remain limited. We address this gap by juxtaposing levels of discrimination across five legally protected grounds - race and ethnicity, sex and gender, health and disability, sexual orientation, and social origin - in both markets. We apply hierarchical Bayesian meta-regressions to global data from correspondence audit studies conducted from 2000 to 2024. In doing so, we account for the metadata’s multilevel structure, including study, group, location and time components. Our meta-analysis uncovers structural differences in discrimination, with racial and ethnic discrimination being greatest in the labour market and discrimination based on social origin being highest in the housing market. Frequentist robustness checks that address publication bias yield comparable findings. |
| Keywords: | discrimination, correspondence audits, meta-analysis, housing market, labour market |
| JEL: | J71 J15 J16 J14 R31 C93 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18673 |
| By: | Madison K. Arnsbarger; Andreas Ferrara; Paige Montrose |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the role of economic participation via the labor market in enabling the political mobilization of an underrepresented group. Specifically, we study the wives and daughters of disabled Union Army soldiers after the U.S. Civil War. Linking Union Army enlistment records to the 1860 and 1870 U.S. censuses, we find that the wives and daughters of disabled veterans were significantly more likely to participate in the labor force than those of non-disabled veterans. Historical evidence suggests that disabled veterans were also more exposed to postwar alcohol and substance abuse, increasing the household burdens faced by women. Town-level data show that increases in women's labor force participation combined with higher shares of disabled veterans predict more Temperance Crusade activity in 1873-74. Information provision via newspapers and proximity to other protest towns amplify these effects. Using unit-level disability rates as an instrument for veterans' disability status supports a causal interpretation of the labor market effects. Our results suggest that labor force participation can be an important enabling factor for the political mobilization of underrepresented groups. |
| JEL: | D72 J15 J18 N31 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35287 |
| By: | Manasi Deshpande; Maxwell Kellogg; Magne Mogstad; Kuan-Ju Tseng |
| Abstract: | After substantial growth in the 1990s and 2000s, enrollment in the U.S. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program has been declining since 2013. We use detailed administrative data to quantify the contributions of various factors to trends in SSDI enrollment, focusing especially on the decline in the 2010s. A statistical decomposition suggests that the vast majority of the decline in SSDI enrollment since 2013 is attributable to declines in application rates—and, to a lesser extent, award rates—within demographic groups. There is very little contribution from changes over time in demographic characteristics, eligibility, or exit from SSDI. The decline in SSDI enrollment rates is disproportionately driven by low-to-middle-skilled men who, over time, have become less likely to apply for SSDI and more likely to work. Consistent with this descriptive evidence, we present results from a causal analysis suggesting that improved labor market opportunity for less-skilled men is a key explanation for the decline in SSDI enrollment. We also investigate several other popular hypotheses for the decline in SSDI applications, including lower award rates at the appeals level, and find evidence at odds with them. |
| JEL: | I30 J14 J2 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35300 |
| By: | Yi Chen; Chao Fu; Hongbin Li; Teng Li; Siyan Tang |
| Abstract: | Extensive discussion centers around the question of whether affirmative action (AA) in higher education “works, ” despite AA being in practice a continuous policy instrument. We study the dose effects of AA on its intended beneficiaries by exploiting the ethnic minority bonus-point policy in China's centralized college admissions system, where targeted students receive explicit point advantages. Exploring cohort-level fluctuations in exam score distributions that generate plausibly exogenous variation in the effective dose of AA, we show that higher AA doses increase recipients' admissions to colleges and elite colleges, but lower their academic rankings, shift them toward lower-earning majors, and reduce their satisfaction with college life. From data linking college entrance exam (CEE) records to comprehensive card transaction records 10–23 years after CEE, we find that low AA doses increase long-term consumption by 19% but high doses reduce it by 25%. Such non-monotonic dose responses exist across expenditure categories, including child-related expenditure, suggesting potential impacts on future generations. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that while the positive effects of low AA doses persist across student groups, students from stronger academic backgrounds are more resilient to the negative effects of high AA doses. Overall, our results suggest that careful calibration of AA policies is crucial for achieving their intended goals. |
| JEL: | H75 I2 I3 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–05 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35281 |
| By: | Bian, Xun; Jiang, Hanchen |
| Abstract: | We study the impact of severe health shocks, caused by first-time strokes, heart attacks, and cancer diagnoses, on housing tenure choices in the United States. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we estimate a value-added model that controls for pre-shock housing tenure, health status, and an extensive set of individual and household characteristics. We find that experiencing a severe health shock significantly reduces the probability of homeownership by about 2.1 percentage points. This effect remains robust when further controlling for pre-shock disability, healthcare expenditures, and household fixed effects. Furthermore, we show that our results are mainly driven by pre-shock owners exiting from homeownership after the shock, while there is no effect among pre-shock renters. When focusing on exits from homeownership, we also find that the effects are particularly salient among less affluent, older, and unmarried families. Exploring potential mechanisms, we show that health shocks tighten financial constraints by increasing healthcare expenditures and reducing labor supply and labor income. |
| Keywords: | health shocks, housing tenure choices, homeownership, United States |
| JEL: | I10 R21 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:glodps:1766 |
| By: | Xiaohui Guo; Lizhong Peng; Chad Meyerhoefer |
| Abstract: | This is the first study to estimate the impact of sports gambling legalization on food sufficiency using the staggered implementation of state laws between 2021-2023. By analyzing Google searches for online sportsbooks and legal wagers, we show that interest in sports gambling increases sharply following legalization. Applying an imputation-based difference-in-differences design to biweekly Household Pulse Survey (HPS) data, we find that legalized sports gambling reduces household food sufficiency by 2.1 percent among working-age adults without a college degree, which translates to a 10.5 percent decline among active bettors. This effect is cyclical, persisting for three-to-five months during NFL seasons. Additionally, the declines in food sufficiency are larger among households with adults aged 25-44 and racial/ethnic minorities. Using additional data from the HPS, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and Current Population Survey, our exploration of mechanisms suggests that the negative effects on food sufficiency operate through financial distress rather than changes in mental health or labor supply. A back-of-the-envelope calculation indicates that legalization of sports gambling in nine states resulted in an additional 284, 000 food-insufficient households and $130.2 million in excess healthcare expenditures annually. |
| JEL: | I12 I18 I31 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:35305 |
| By: | Clark, Stephen; Newing, Andy |
| Abstract: | The traditional fish and chip shop is an important part of the food environment in many UK neighbourhoods. However, rising costs, changing tastes and competition have resulted in fish and chip shop closures, with some alarmist predictions that up to half of all shops could close in a single year. Using Points of Interest data and multilevel modelling, we look beyond the headlines and model trends in fish and chip shop provision by neighbourhood type between 2022 and 2025. We identify an overall decline in the number of shops yet find no evidence to support the predictions of widespread closures. However, closures have been unevenly spread across neighbourhood types, with the greatest decline in deprived and ethnically diverse urban areas, and less impact on some more affluent neighbourhoods with older populations. Although some adaption may be needed to maintain viable amidst rising costs, our findings suggest that the traditional fish and chip shop remains an important part of the food environment in many neighbourhoods. In conclusion, we highlight the importance of robust data driven insight when considering the changing provision of services and comment on how these approaches could be applied in other contexts. |
| Date: | 2026–05–18 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:n43zw_v1 |