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on Minorities Research (Ethnic, LGBTQ+, Disabilities) |
| By: | Andreas Haller; Stefan Staubli |
| Abstract: | The central trade-off for designing Disability Insurance (DI) is between providing insurance to those in need while maintaining incentives to work. This paper develops a novel revealed-preference approach to identify the insurance value of DI benefits. We show that comparing the DI take-up response to a change in benefits versus a change in wages identifies the insurance value. Implementing our framework in Canada, we estimate that increasing DI benefits by $1 creates an additional disincentive cost of $0.60 but creates an insurance value of $2.20. Thus, our approach suggests that DI benefits are not overly generous in the Canadian context. |
| Keywords: | Disability insurance, take-up, benefits, policy reform. |
| JEL: | H53 H55 J14 J21 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:rsi:irersi:26 |
| By: | Russo, Nicolò; McGee, Rory; De Nardi, Mariacristina; Borella, Margherita; Abram, Ross |
| Abstract: | We measure health inequality during middle and old age by race, ethnicity, and gender and evaluate the extent to which it can explain inequalities in other key economic outcomes using the Health and Retirement Study data set. Our main measure of health is frailty, which is the fraction of one's possible health deficits and is related to biological age. We find staggering health inequality: At age 55, Black men and women have the frailty, or biological age, of White men and women 13 and 20 years older, respectively, while Hispanic men and women exhibit frailty akin to White men and women 5 and 6 years older. The health deficits composing frailty reveal that most health deficits are more likely for Black and Hispanic people than for White people, with the notable exception of those requiring a diagnosis. Imputing medical diagnoses to Black and Hispanic people uncovers even larger health gaps, especially for Black men. Health inequality also emerges as a powerful determinant of economic inequality. If Black individuals at age 55 had the health of their White peers, the life expectancy gap between these two groups would halve, and the gap in disability duration would decrease by 40-70%. Other outcomes are similarly affected by health at age 55, indicating that targeted health interventions for minority groups before middle age could substantially reduce economic disparities in the quantity and quality of life. |
| Keywords: | Health; Race; Inequality |
| JEL: | D11 I14 H31 |
| Date: | 2024–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19529 |
| By: | Russo, N.;; McGee, R.;; De Nardi, M.;; Borella, M.;; Abram, R.; |
| Abstract: | Health shapes a broad set of later-life outcomes that are central to macroeconomics and public policy, including disability receipt, retirement, long -term care use, and survival. Yet we know little about how much differences in midlife health contribute to disparities in these outcomes later in life by race, ethnicity, and gender. Using the Health and Retirement Study, we construct a measure of health based on frailty and document large disparities at midlife. Black men and women have frailty levels at age 55 comparable to those of White men and women who are 13 and 20 years older, respectively, while the corresponding gaps for Hispanic men and women are 8 and 12 years. We then estimate a dynamic system linking health at age 55 to subsequent outcomes. Equalizing the distribution of health at age 55 across groups substantially reduces disparities in time spent in poor health, disability benefit receipt, and nursing home residence. Importantly, midlife health can account for later -life disparities more than education, health insurance coverage, and marital status jointly. |
| Date: | 2026–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:yor:hectdg:26/18 |
| By: | Hamermesh, Daniel (University of Texas at Austin) |
| Abstract: | Using diaries covering 25-61-year-olds in the American Time Use Survey 2009-24, this study demonstrates that temporal variety—doing more different things in a day—is income superior. Linking these data to underlying Current Population Surveys, propensity-score models show that people stating that they have a mobility/physical disability in each of two consecutive annual surveys undertake almost 4 percent fewer activities per day than other, demographically identical individuals. They also earn about 50 percent less. Combining the estimated impact of income on temporal variety with the implied reductions in variety incurred by those with the disability yields a monetary equivalent of lost variety exceeding that of lost earnings. Measuring disability status only once yields much smaller estimated shortfalls in temporal variety and earnings. That suggests that one-time self-reports of disabilities, which underlie the bulk of studies on the impacts of disabilities on earnings, also underestimate long-term effects. |
| Keywords: | time use, disability, torts |
| JEL: | J22 K13 |
| Date: | 2026–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18761 |
| By: | Hu, Yan; Maurer, Stephan |
| Abstract: | Do minorities benefit from social networks? In this paper, we study this question using the historical example of China's first modern bureaucratic organization, the Chinese Maritime Customs Service. Drawing on newly digitized personnel records from 1876-1911, we first show that the Chinese clerks employed by the service were predominantly Cantonese. Using the plausibly exogenous transfers of clerks across stations, we then estimate that a non-Cantonese (minority) clerk benefited significantly from meeting at least one colleague from his same province and dialect. Such connections led to faster promotion and a 5.6% salary increase, with even stronger effects when meeting a clerk who was either senior or of high quality. |
| Keywords: | Chinese Maritime Customs Service, social connections, wages, promotion, minorities |
| JEL: | J15 J31 J45 N35 N75 |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:cexwps:342438 |
| By: | Chiara Campana (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); Pierre Koning (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam); Maarten Lindeboom (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | While evidence points at potentially strong effects of stricter screening and tightening eligibility criteria for Disability Insurance (DI), little is known about their targeting effects: are screened-out workers also those with better future health and more ability to work? To shed light on this, we employ Regression-Discontinuity-in-Time regressions that compare the long-term outcomes of DI application cohorts just before and after a reform in the Netherlands. The reform led to stricter screening in the sickness period before DI application and reduced the number of applicants by 33\%. Up to 18 years after application, we find persistently lower survival rates and lower employment rates of post-reform cohorts. Using detailed information on the future chronic diseases of these cohorts and the application diagnoses, we next construct indices capturing long-term expected survival (a “Survival Health Index†, SHI) and long-term employment prospects (a “Work Ability Index†, WAI) for DI applicant cohorts in the years following application. These indices allow us to assess whether the reform primarily deterred applicants with health-related disabilities, work-related disabilities, or both. We find that the self-screening induced by the reform was stronger for applicants with work disabilities (low WAI scores compared to their SHI scores) than for health disabilities (low SHI scores compared to their WAI scores). This is largely due to a decline in applications of workers with mental and musculoskeletal health conditions that have high survival rates, but lower employment rates. |
| Keywords: | Disability Insurance, (Mental) Health, Screening, Targeting |
| Date: | 2026–07–15 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:tin:wpaper:20260045 |
| By: | Bredtmann, Julia (RWI); Otten, Sebastian (University of Duisburg-Essen); Vonnahme, Christina (Westphalian University of Applied Sciences) |
| Abstract: | We analyze whether teachers discriminate against ethnic minority students with regard to grading. Using comprehensive data on students in German primary and secondary schools, we compare students' scores on standardized, anonymously graded achievement tests with non-anonymous teacher ratings within a difference-in-differences framework. Although minority students tend to score lower on the standardized test than majority students, this achievement gap is significantly reduced when graded by the teacher. This finding cannot be fully explained by differences in socioeconomic background, language-related differences in standardized test performance, or the sorting of students into educational contexts with different grading standards. Overall, our findings suggest that teachers have a positive evaluation bias toward ethnic minority students. |
| Keywords: | immigration, discrimination, grading bias |
| JEL: | F22 I24 J15 |
| Date: | 2026–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18847 |
| By: | Melissa Gentry |
| Abstract: | Disability status has been elicited systematically in United States surveys as far back as the 1970s and was included in the March Supplement of the Current Population Survey starting in 1981. Unfortunately, work-limiting disability status variables are only available in public and restricted data starting in 1988. This technical memo walks through the process of recovering those missing disability status variables as well as the process of linking them to the internal CPS data at the individual-level through a series of unique identifiers. |
| Keywords: | CPS-ASEC |
| Date: | 2026–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cen:tnotes:26-24 |
| By: | Cummins, Neil |
| Abstract: | Using surnames from the universe of death and wealth-at-death records in England and Wales, from 1858 to 2018, I document the emergence of a modern ethnic wealth gradient. Historically, Non-British ethnicities have average wealth 2-5 times that of the English. However, this premium has decreased over the 20th century. By 1980, non-British ethnicities have no advantage over the British. However, this masks considerable heterogeneity within the non-British ethnicity group. Europeans typically die significantly richer than the English whereas the Pakistani and Swedish die significantly poorer. Some groups always have lower wealth. The Irish, have wealth around 50% of the average English throughout. Surprisingly, the most egalitarian measure of wealth is representation within the top 1%. Most ethnicities have an equal, or greater, representation in the top 1% than the English, 1980-1992. Despite large differences in average wealth between ethnicities, the vast majority of variation, 97.5% is between individuals. |
| Keywords: | Wealth inequality; Racial inequality; Economic history |
| JEL: | N00 N33 N34 |
| Date: | 2024–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19398 |
| By: | Gönül Doğan (University of Cologne); Louis Strang (University of Cologne) |
| Abstract: | We propose a novel behavioural measure of authoritarian preferences and deploy it in a large German sample comparing East and West. We identify preference for three types of decision rules and discrimination when assigning decision power. Support for authoritarian decision rules is high with 73% of participants assigning positive weight to them. When assigning decision power within authoritarian rules, groups with a large number of minorities as well as minority members themselves face substantial discrimination, ranging between 12 to 33 percent lower decision weight allocated to them. East and West German participants do not significantly differ in their discrimination in decision power. Our main treatment variation exposes individuals to minority success stories; neither authoritarian rule support nor discrimination in decision power is significantly impacted by such positive information. Drawing on an extensive questionnaire, we identify attitudes toward decision power allocation within the society, and beliefs about immigrants’ origin and religion asthe strongest predictors of authoritarian behaviour. |
| Keywords: | Authoritarianism, Discrimination, Resource allocation, Political prefer- ences, Social preferences, Online experiment |
| JEL: | C91 H89 P00 |
| Date: | 2026–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ajk:ajkdps:425 |
| By: | Yi Fan; Ho Pin Teo; Yong Tu; Wayne Xinwei Wan |
| Abstract: | This study investigates the impact of social integration on immigrants' housing behaviours from a temporal perspective, using Singapore's differential public housing policies on immigrants as a quasi-natural experiment. With the support of a local town council, we conducted a survey on social integration among 1, 128 immigrant and local households living in public housing estates. In the public open rental housing market - primarily accommodating yet-to-integrate immigrants - we find immigrant renters live up to 3.04% farther from their workplace and pay lower rents up to 0.67% per additional year of residency. Such impacts are more substantial among minority ethnic groups. The results remain robust when using alternative subjective or objective measures of social integration. However, in the public resale housing market - primarily accommodating native and well-integrated naturalised citizens - we find that naturalised citizens face no price premiums relative to native homebuyers, implying no further effect of integration on housing prices after well-integration. This study extends the literature of spatial assimilation focusing on ethnic residential segregations and is generalizable to cities with few ethnic enclaves. |
| Date: | 2026–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2607.17633 |
| By: | Lindner, Thijs (Erasmus University Rotterdam); de Koster, Willem; van der Waal, Jeroen |
| Abstract: | The relationship between ethnic diversity and welfare attitudes has been the subject of much research. However, little is known about how exposure to information on the overrepresentation of ethnic minority individuals among welfare recipients affects attitudes to welfare recipients in general. We scrutinize a potential information exposure effect, and assess two contrasting scenarios, i.e., exposure to aforementioned information might strengthen either negative stereotypes of welfare recipients or the notion that welfare dependency is the result of structural conditions. Additionally, we hypothesize that the former (latter) response is more likely among those with more (less) ethnocentric attitudes. We tested this by conducting an original pre-registered survey experiment among members of a high-quality probability-based panel designed to represent the Dutch population (n = 1, 527). The treatment group was exposed to information depicting the overrepresentation of Dutch citizens with a Moroccan migration background among welfare recipients in the Netherlands, while the control group was not. It was only among the more ethnocentric respondents that exposure to the treatment increased support for the notions that welfare recipients: 1) are lacking work ethic; and 2) are themselves to blame for their condition. There was 3) no treatment effect on support for welfare schemes in general. We discuss the implications of these findings for a variety of academic debates and make suggestions for further research. |
| Date: | 2026–07–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:6r32b_v1 |
| By: | Bazley, William; Cuculiza, Carina; Korniotis, George |
| Abstract: | We examine the impact of perceived social discrimination on U.S. households' preferences, focusing on key aspects of prospect theory. Utilizing both field and experimental data, we find that perceiving discrimination increases risk tolerance, decreases loss aversion, and excessively distorts objective probabilities. These effects are primarily observed in racial/ethnic minorities, with no significant impact on White individuals. Emotional mechanisms, particularly anger, play a role in transmitting the effects of discrimination on preferences. Overall, our findings underscore how social factors, such as discrimination, can systematically shape fundamental preferences, and ultimately influencing economic decision-making. |
| Keywords: | Cumulative prospect theory; Experiment |
| JEL: | D01 D90 D91 G40 G41 G50 |
| Date: | 2024–09 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:19514 |
| By: | Toomas Kotkas (UH - University of Helsinki); Philippe Martin (COMPTRASEC - Centre de droit comparé du travail et de la sécurité sociale - UB - Université de Bordeaux - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique); Hitomi Nagano (Sophia University [Tokyo]); Marta Navas-Parejo Alonso (UC3M - Universidad Carlos III de Madrid = University of Carlos III of Madrid) |
| Abstract: | It is not uncommon that a country's social welfare system includes separate long-term care schemes for the elderly and for the disabled persons. Often, the separation is based on an age criterion, i.e. if disability is only acquired after certain age, the person is not eligible for special long-term care services for the disabled. However, age-related criteria are problematic on the basis of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The exclusion of a person from special services simply based on their age violates the principle of non-discrimination. At the same time, as the proportion of elderly population in many countries has risen drastically, it is not necessarily financially realistic to assume that the elderly should have the equal right to special disability services which are often free-of-charge or with lower co-payments. This article analyses the policies in five countries whose aim is to solve the discrepancy between the non-discrimination principle and financial sustainability on long-term care schemes. It is argued that despite the different policy choices aimed at tackling the problem of economic sustainability of long-term care schemes, almost all countries are nevertheless still forced to resort to some kind of age criteria. |
| Keywords: | social welfare funding, non-discrimination principle, disabled persons, elderly, Long-term care |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05701847 |
| By: | Jashari, Skender |
| Abstract: | The article examines Russia’s long‑standing pattern of expansionist warfare and argues that these historical dynamics, combined with modern geopolitical pressures, are pushing the Russian Federation toward an imminent breakup. Drawing on centuries of conflicts—from the Russo‑Turkish wars to Soviet‑era occupations—the author highlights how Russia has repeatedly used military force, ideological manipulation, and proxy groups to dominate neighboring regions. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the study argues that Vladimir Putin’s restoration strategy relies on tools such as Islamist networks, corruption, organized crime, energy coercion, propaganda, and nuclear intimidation. Russia’s wars in Georgia and Ukraine are presented as extensions of this strategy, with the 2022 invasion marking a turning point that exposes deep structural weaknesses inside the Russian state. The article emphasizes Russia’s extreme ethnic and linguistic fragmentation, noting over 150 languages, 193 ethnic groups, and numerous republics where ethnic Russians are not the majority. Based on these internal divisions, the author predicts that the Russian Federation could fragment into dozens of new states, similar to the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The study concludes that a united Europe and Ukraine’s military resilience are accelerating Russia’s decline, framing the Russian Federation as the modern “Sick Man of Siberia.” The author argues that the collapse of Russia would also significantly weaken international terrorism, particularly Islamist networks historically supported by Soviet and Russian structures. |
| Keywords: | Russian expansionism Hybrid warfare Dissolution of the Russian Federation Ethnic fragmentation Soviet legacy Geopolitical instability Russian–Ukrainian war Balkan security International terrorism Putin’s restoration strategy Proxy warfare Post‑Soviet states Ethnolinguistic diversity Russian imperialism |
| JEL: | F5 N4 |
| Date: | 2026 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:130026 |
| By: | Holzman, Brian; Crawford, Aminah; Edosomwan, Kristian |
| Abstract: | AVID is a college access program for students in the “academic middle, ” particularly those from socioeconomically and racially marginalized backgrounds. Although research has examined AVID’s association with college enrollment, less is known about its relationship with earlier stages of the college-choice process. Using nationally representative HSLS data, we examine whether AVID participation is associated with students’ expectations of earning a bachelor’s and engagement in key college search activities. We also assess whether these associations vary by race/ethnicity, first-generation status, and family poverty level. AVID participation is positively associated with attending college programs or tours and consulting school counselors. In some cases, these associations are stronger among socioeconomically and racially marginalized students, suggesting AVID may help reduce disparities in access to college information and guidance. |
| Date: | 2026–07–28 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:mqydb_v1 |
| By: | Eberhardt, Markus (University of Nottingham); Facchini, Giovanni (University of Nottingham); Rueda, Valeria (University of Nottingham) |
| Abstract: | Is the top of the economics profession becoming more insular? We study the placement of top PhD graduates over the past quarter-century matching them to their advisors. Three trends point towards greater openness: graduates increasingly place outside academia, outside the US, and into a tech sector recruiting broadly across gender, ethnicity, and program prestige. The disaggregated picture is less reassuring: the Emerging South is largely sidelined in the global job market, East Asians face persistent gaps in top academic placement, and elite advisors continue to confer substantial advantages within academia. Tech placement, meanwhile, is dominated by a single employer. |
| Keywords: | gender, ethnicity, diversity, economics, job market |
| JEL: | J16 A11 D9 |
| Date: | 2026–08 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18868 |
| By: | Titatiféi Pouwè Tare (CERSA - Centre d’Excellence et de Recherche en Sciences Aviaires); Walter Ossebi (EISMV - Ecole Inter-États des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires de Dakar); Guiguigbaza-Kossigan Dayo (CIRDES - Centre international de recherche-développement sur l'élevage en zone subhumide); Malik Orou Seko (EISMV - Ecole Inter-États des Sciences et Médecine Vétérinaires de Dakar); Essodina Talaki (CERSA - Centre d’Excellence et de Recherche en Sciences Aviaires) |
| Abstract: | The purpose of this study is to analyze the marketing system of local guinea fowl in municipality of Lomé. A survey was conducted among 54 traders in 10 markets in the municipality. A total of three types of actors were identified in the local guinea-fowl marketing chain: The wholesalers, the urban resellers and the retailers. Analysis of the data reveals that the majority of traders are married people (93%) and aged of 41 ± 11 years. The activity is inherited from a parent (72%) and constitutes an essential source of income to meet basic needs. In addition, the study reveals a strong representation of retailers (68%) in the market made up of women, of Ewé ethnic group, 90% of whom originated from Maritime region. Our results showed that the savannah region is the main source of local guinea fowl for the municipality of Lomé in Togo. Wholesalers and urban retailers are the major players, earning profits of 358.33 F CFA and 357.48 F CFA per guinea fowl sold, respectively, which is significantly higher than that of retailers who only earn net unit surplus of 98.48 F CFA. Overall, the marketing of local guinea fowl in the municipality of Lomé is a profitable business and deserves to be supported in order to improve the distribution of income among stakeholders with a view to sustainable development. This support will be more effective if actions are developed to promote local guinea fowl and the marketing of its products. |
| Abstract: | La présente étude a pour but d'analyser le système de commercialisation de la pintade locale dans la commune de Lomé. Une enquête a été réalisée auprès de 54 commerçants dans 10 marchés de la commune. Au total, trois types d'acteurs ont été identifiés dans le circuit de commercialisation de la pintade locale : les grossistes, les revendeurs urbains et les détaillants. Il ressort de l'étude que les commerçants sont majoritairement mariés (93%) avec une moyenne d'âge de 41±11 ans. L'activité est héritée d'un parent (72%) et constitue une source de revenus indispensable à la satisfaction des besoins élémentaires. En outre, l'étude révèle une forte représentativité des détaillants (68%) sur le marché constitué de femmes, d'ethnie Ewé, originaire à 90% de la région maritime. Nos résultats ont indiqué que la région des savanes est le principal pôle d'approvisionnement de la commune de Lomé en pintades locales au Togo. Les grossistes et les revendeurs urbains en sont les grands acteurs et réalisent des bénéfices respectifs de 358, 33 F CFA et de 357, 48 F CFA par pintade vendue significativement plus importants que celui des détaillants qui n'engrangent qu'un excédent unitaire net de 98, 48 F CFA. Globalement, la commercialisation de la pintade locale dans la commune de Lomé est une activité rentable et mérite d'être soutenue pour une meilleure répartition des revenus des acteurs dans la perspective d'un développement durable. Ce soutien sera d'autant plus efficace si des actions et des programmes sont développés en faveur de la promotion de la pintade locale et de la commercialisation de ses produits. |
| Keywords: | marketing, municipality of Lomé, Togo, local guinea fowl, Pintade locale, Commune de Lomé, Commercialisation |
| Date: | 2026–07–25 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05440378 |
| By: | Garg, Teevrat; Gennaioli, Caterina; Lovo, Stefania; Singer, Gregor |
| Abstract: | We examine the effect of inter-group competition on within-group violent conflict in Indonesia. Using a triple-differences design, we find that higher competition for national government transfers between villages reduces within-village conflict. These effects persist regardless of the competition’s outcome, are stronger in ethnically fractionalized and segregated villages, and are accompanied by higher attendance in village meetings. Our results are consistent with external competition favoring participation and cooperation within otherwise divided communities, suggesting that economic incentives to compete with out-groups combined with forms of civic engagement can be important mechanisms to reduce violence within communities. |
| Keywords: | community-driven development;competition;conflict |
| JEL: | D74 H70 O15 O17 O18 Z13 |
| Date: | 2026–07–29 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ehl:lserod:129782 |