D Witteveen
Biographic Data
| ID | 29205 |
|---|---|
| NAME | D Witteveen |
| GIVEN NAMES | D |
| FAMILY NAME | Witteveen |
| SIGNATURE | WITTEVEEN D |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Oxford |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-9197-8316 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 85 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2017 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Class origin closure: Economic advantages of occupational elitism
This study investigates the role of class origin compositions of micro-occupations in creating economic inequalities using three decades of British longitudinal surveys. Drawing on social closure theory, we analyze how class origin contributes to between-occupation earnings disparities and class origin earnings inequality at the individual level. Using fine-grained data on the class origins of occupational incumbents, we construct a robust indica…
Racial Gaps in Career Mobility during the Great Migration
The author investigates whether the Great Migration closed or mitigated racial disparities in career advancement. Using linked historical census data, tracking individuals from the early twentieth century, the author analyzes the occupational mobility of Black and White men who came of age during the Great Migration. The author uses two longitudinal analyses of occupational status over a 30-year period (e.g., 1900–1930 and 1910–1940) to compare c…
What Drives Immigrant Inequalities in Career Growth in the Age of Mass Migration
This article examines the association between modernization and career growth of American men and European immigrants, focusing on heterogeneity along ancestry, ethnicity, and early-career class position. Analyses rely on datasets built with individual-level linked historical Censuses (1901–1940), which longitudinally map socio-economic indices of full occupational careers of late-nineteenth-century population birth cohorts (1884–1891). Moderniza…
Closure and matching payoffs from college majors
This article examines the undergraduate major as a closure mechanism in occupations among college graduates, using the American Community Surveys. We measure the college major density of occupations, termed "major specialization", finding that greater major specialization of an occupation is associated with higher earnings, over and above previously identified closure devices (licensure, unionization, and vertical educational credentialing), and …
Work life complexity no longer on the rise: Trends among 1930s–1980s birth cohorts in Sweden
There is a conception that contemporary work lives become ever more complex. Pioneering research has indicated that work lives have indeed become more complex, yet at a modestly increasing pace. This paper uses Swedish registry data across an exceptionally long time period, including cohorts born from 1931 to 1983. The following conclusions are drawn using state-of-the-art methods of measuring sequence complexity. For early-careers, an increasing…
Occupational marginalization, underemployment, and earnings inequality among college graduates
Structural Change Shapes Career Mobility Opportunities: An Analysis of Cohorts, Gender and Parental Class
Research suggests that structural change drives occupational mobility in high-income countries over time, but two partially competing theories explain how such change occurs. One suggests that younger cohorts replace older ones through higher education, and the second suggests that individuals adapt to structural change by switching from declining to new or growing occupations during their careers. A proposed occupational scheme aligns with the t…
The Effects of Undergraduate Financing on Advanced Degree Attainment
This study examines the effects of undergraduate financing on subsequent advanced degree attainment in a context characterized by a shift away from traditional grant aid programs and toward widespread student loans. Using data from the National Survey of College Graduates, 2SLS Lewbel method regressions estimate the effects of having received undergraduate grant aid and having student loan debt on the chances of attaining an advanced degree durin…
Black-White incentive inequality for college persistence
Despite similar educational aspirations, black students persist in higher education at much lower rates than white undergraduates. This paper advances a theoretical explanation for the racial gap in persistence by examining whether the differential attrition in college reflects contrasting incentives for educational persistence. To account for the highly unequal hurdles faced by black men and women in college and in the labor market, we propose a…
Premature Death Risk from Young Adulthood Incarceration
Drawing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data, a comprehensive treatment model indicates a strong positive influence of incarceration on premature death risk. Models adjust for numerous covariates of mortality, including demographics, family background, and a range of health and behavioral indicators measured during childhood, as well as selection into incarceration ("treatment"). This study expands extant research by observing much…
Encouraged or Discouraged? The Effect of Adverse Macroeconomic Conditions on School Leaving and Reentry
Existing research generally confirms a countercyclical education enrollment, whereby youths seek shelter in the educational system to avoid hardships in the labor market: the 'discouraged worker' thesis. Alternatively, the 'encouraged worker' thesis predicts that economic downturns steer individuals away from education because of higher opportunity costs. This study provides a formal test of these opposing theories using data from the United Stat…
Does perceived social mobility shape attitudes toward government and family educational investment
Economic hardship and mental health complaints during Covid-19
Significance This study measures the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on workers’ economic hardship and mental health. In data representative of the active labor force, we document two interconnected layers of rapidly exacerbating inequalities. We find that occupational ranking is highly predictive of experiencing a range of instant economic hardships, such as workload decrease and income loss. Subsequent analyses indicate that such economic hard…
The STEM grading penalty: An alternative to the “leaky pipeline” hypothesis
The low number of baccalaureates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often viewed as problematic for the US's economic competitiveness, leading scholars to search for explanations for STEM retention. Our analyses of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study indicate that the notion of a so‐called “leaky STEM pipeline” out of STEM majors overstates the problem because it neglects the substantial influx into…
Sociodemographic inequality in exposure to Covid-19-induced economic hardship in the United Kingdom
Reconsidering the ‘meritocratic power of a college degree’
Previous research has shown that the intergenerational transmission of advantage disappears once individuals obtain a bachelor's degree. This is known as the equalization thesis: the 'meritocratic power' of a college degree. This paper revisits the question of origin-destination association among college graduates. We improve on earlier studies by using three large sample (40,000+) of the National Survey of College Graduates, consisting of birth …
The Vertical Transfer Penalty among Bachelor’s Degree Graduates
Numerous studies have investigated the consequences of vertical transfer on students’ higher education outcomes in comparison to “native 4-year students”—those who went straight from high school into a bachelor’s program. However, the long-term labor market outcomes for vertical transfer students are understudied. Using nationally-representative data from the National Survey of College Graduates 2015, we estimate the relationship between starting…
The Rise of Mainstream Nationalism and Xenophobia in Dutch Politics: Xenophobia in Dutch Politics
Although right-wing nationalist Geert Wilders—party leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands—did not receive the most votes in the 2017 parliamentary elections, it is questionable whether this result really marks a retreat of nationalist and xenophobic politics. In the months leading up the elections in March of 2017, polls had indicated a potential victory of Wilders’ party with a margin as big as 8 percent to its nearest rivals in Jan…
Family Background and Earnings Inequality among College Graduates
Stratification researchers have reported that the relationship between family background and socio-economic outcomes drops to near zero for individuals who have a baccalaureate degree, leading one scholar to conclude that “This ... provides a new answer to the old question about overcoming disadvantaged origins. A college degree can do it.” We present contrary evidence from two nationally representative samples of college graduates: the Baccalaur…
The Rise of Mainstream Nationalism and Xenophobia in Dutch Politics
Although right-wing nationalist Geert Wilders—party leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands—did not receive the most votes in the 2017 parliamentary elections, it is questionable whether this result really marks a retreat of nationalist and xenophobic politics. In the months leading up the elections in March of 2017, polls had indicated a potential victory of Wilders’ party with a margin as big as 8 percent to its nearest rivals in Jan…
Labour Market Disadvantages of Second‐Generation Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands: Before and during the Great Recession
This study uses two waves of panel data to examine the labour market integration of children of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. The data show a persisting educational attainment gap in terms of high school completion and post‐secondary attendance. The analyses of prime working‐age respondents indicate substantial ethnic penalties that accrue from the hiring process: controlling for educational background and demographics, the …
The earnings payoff from attending a selective college
Reconsidering the ‘meritocratic power of a college degree’
Previous research has shown that the intergenerational transmission of advantage disappears once individuals obtain a bachelor's degree. This is known as the equalization thesis: the 'meritocratic power' of a college degree. This paper revisits the question of origin-destination association among college graduates. We improve on earlier studies by using three large sample (40,000+) of the National Survey of College Graduates, consisting of birth …
The earnings payoff from attending a selective college
Sociodemographic inequality in exposure to Covid-19-induced economic hardship in the United Kingdom
Labour Market Disadvantages of Second‐Generation Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands: Before and during the Great Recession
This study uses two waves of panel data to examine the labour market integration of children of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. The data show a persisting educational attainment gap in terms of high school completion and post‐secondary attendance. The analyses of prime working‐age respondents indicate substantial ethnic penalties that accrue from the hiring process: controlling for educational background and demographics, the …
Encouraged or Discouraged? The Effect of Adverse Macroeconomic Conditions on School Leaving and Reentry
Existing research generally confirms a countercyclical education enrollment, whereby youths seek shelter in the educational system to avoid hardships in the labor market: the 'discouraged worker' thesis. Alternatively, the 'encouraged worker' thesis predicts that economic downturns steer individuals away from education because of higher opportunity costs. This study provides a formal test of these opposing theories using data from the United Stat…
The Vertical Transfer Penalty among Bachelor’s Degree Graduates
Numerous studies have investigated the consequences of vertical transfer on students’ higher education outcomes in comparison to “native 4-year students”—those who went straight from high school into a bachelor’s program. However, the long-term labor market outcomes for vertical transfer students are understudied. Using nationally-representative data from the National Survey of College Graduates 2015, we estimate the relationship between starting…
Structural Change Shapes Career Mobility Opportunities: An Analysis of Cohorts, Gender and Parental Class
Research suggests that structural change drives occupational mobility in high-income countries over time, but two partially competing theories explain how such change occurs. One suggests that younger cohorts replace older ones through higher education, and the second suggests that individuals adapt to structural change by switching from declining to new or growing occupations during their careers. A proposed occupational scheme aligns with the t…
Closure and matching payoffs from college majors
This article examines the undergraduate major as a closure mechanism in occupations among college graduates, using the American Community Surveys. We measure the college major density of occupations, termed "major specialization", finding that greater major specialization of an occupation is associated with higher earnings, over and above previously identified closure devices (licensure, unionization, and vertical educational credentialing), and …
Premature Death Risk from Young Adulthood Incarceration
Drawing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data, a comprehensive treatment model indicates a strong positive influence of incarceration on premature death risk. Models adjust for numerous covariates of mortality, including demographics, family background, and a range of health and behavioral indicators measured during childhood, as well as selection into incarceration ("treatment"). This study expands extant research by observing much…
Does perceived social mobility shape attitudes toward government and family educational investment
Work life complexity no longer on the rise: Trends among 1930s–1980s birth cohorts in Sweden
There is a conception that contemporary work lives become ever more complex. Pioneering research has indicated that work lives have indeed become more complex, yet at a modestly increasing pace. This paper uses Swedish registry data across an exceptionally long time period, including cohorts born from 1931 to 1983. The following conclusions are drawn using state-of-the-art methods of measuring sequence complexity. For early-careers, an increasing…
Occupational marginalization, underemployment, and earnings inequality among college graduates
The Effects of Undergraduate Financing on Advanced Degree Attainment
This study examines the effects of undergraduate financing on subsequent advanced degree attainment in a context characterized by a shift away from traditional grant aid programs and toward widespread student loans. Using data from the National Survey of College Graduates, 2SLS Lewbel method regressions estimate the effects of having received undergraduate grant aid and having student loan debt on the chances of attaining an advanced degree durin…
The Rise of Mainstream Nationalism and Xenophobia in Dutch Politics: Xenophobia in Dutch Politics
Although right-wing nationalist Geert Wilders—party leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands—did not receive the most votes in the 2017 parliamentary elections, it is questionable whether this result really marks a retreat of nationalist and xenophobic politics. In the months leading up the elections in March of 2017, polls had indicated a potential victory of Wilders’ party with a margin as big as 8 percent to its nearest rivals in Jan…
Family Background and Earnings Inequality among College Graduates
Stratification researchers have reported that the relationship between family background and socio-economic outcomes drops to near zero for individuals who have a baccalaureate degree, leading one scholar to conclude that “This ... provides a new answer to the old question about overcoming disadvantaged origins. A college degree can do it.” We present contrary evidence from two nationally representative samples of college graduates: the Baccalaur…
The Rise of Mainstream Nationalism and Xenophobia in Dutch Politics
Although right-wing nationalist Geert Wilders—party leader of the Party for Freedom in the Netherlands—did not receive the most votes in the 2017 parliamentary elections, it is questionable whether this result really marks a retreat of nationalist and xenophobic politics. In the months leading up the elections in March of 2017, polls had indicated a potential victory of Wilders’ party with a margin as big as 8 percent to its nearest rivals in Jan…
Labour Market Disadvantages of Second‐Generation Turks and Moroccans in the Netherlands: Before and during the Great Recession
This study uses two waves of panel data to examine the labour market integration of children of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants in the Netherlands. The data show a persisting educational attainment gap in terms of high school completion and post‐secondary attendance. The analyses of prime working‐age respondents indicate substantial ethnic penalties that accrue from the hiring process: controlling for educational background and demographics, the …
The earnings payoff from attending a selective college
The Vertical Transfer Penalty among Bachelor’s Degree Graduates
Numerous studies have investigated the consequences of vertical transfer on students’ higher education outcomes in comparison to “native 4-year students”—those who went straight from high school into a bachelor’s program. However, the long-term labor market outcomes for vertical transfer students are understudied. Using nationally-representative data from the National Survey of College Graduates 2015, we estimate the relationship between starting…
Economic hardship and mental health complaints during Covid-19
Significance This study measures the impact of the COVID-19 lockdowns on workers’ economic hardship and mental health. In data representative of the active labor force, we document two interconnected layers of rapidly exacerbating inequalities. We find that occupational ranking is highly predictive of experiencing a range of instant economic hardships, such as workload decrease and income loss. Subsequent analyses indicate that such economic hard…
The STEM grading penalty: An alternative to the “leaky pipeline” hypothesis
The low number of baccalaureates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is often viewed as problematic for the US's economic competitiveness, leading scholars to search for explanations for STEM retention. Our analyses of the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study indicate that the notion of a so‐called “leaky STEM pipeline” out of STEM majors overstates the problem because it neglects the substantial influx into…
Sociodemographic inequality in exposure to Covid-19-induced economic hardship in the United Kingdom
Reconsidering the ‘meritocratic power of a college degree’
Previous research has shown that the intergenerational transmission of advantage disappears once individuals obtain a bachelor's degree. This is known as the equalization thesis: the 'meritocratic power' of a college degree. This paper revisits the question of origin-destination association among college graduates. We improve on earlier studies by using three large sample (40,000+) of the National Survey of College Graduates, consisting of birth …
Encouraged or Discouraged? The Effect of Adverse Macroeconomic Conditions on School Leaving and Reentry
Existing research generally confirms a countercyclical education enrollment, whereby youths seek shelter in the educational system to avoid hardships in the labor market: the 'discouraged worker' thesis. Alternatively, the 'encouraged worker' thesis predicts that economic downturns steer individuals away from education because of higher opportunity costs. This study provides a formal test of these opposing theories using data from the United Stat…
Does perceived social mobility shape attitudes toward government and family educational investment
Black-White incentive inequality for college persistence
Despite similar educational aspirations, black students persist in higher education at much lower rates than white undergraduates. This paper advances a theoretical explanation for the racial gap in persistence by examining whether the differential attrition in college reflects contrasting incentives for educational persistence. To account for the highly unequal hurdles faced by black men and women in college and in the labor market, we propose a…
Premature Death Risk from Young Adulthood Incarceration
Drawing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 data, a comprehensive treatment model indicates a strong positive influence of incarceration on premature death risk. Models adjust for numerous covariates of mortality, including demographics, family background, and a range of health and behavioral indicators measured during childhood, as well as selection into incarceration ("treatment"). This study expands extant research by observing much…
Work life complexity no longer on the rise: Trends among 1930s–1980s birth cohorts in Sweden
There is a conception that contemporary work lives become ever more complex. Pioneering research has indicated that work lives have indeed become more complex, yet at a modestly increasing pace. This paper uses Swedish registry data across an exceptionally long time period, including cohorts born from 1931 to 1983. The following conclusions are drawn using state-of-the-art methods of measuring sequence complexity. For early-careers, an increasing…
Occupational marginalization, underemployment, and earnings inequality among college graduates
Structural Change Shapes Career Mobility Opportunities: An Analysis of Cohorts, Gender and Parental Class
Research suggests that structural change drives occupational mobility in high-income countries over time, but two partially competing theories explain how such change occurs. One suggests that younger cohorts replace older ones through higher education, and the second suggests that individuals adapt to structural change by switching from declining to new or growing occupations during their careers. A proposed occupational scheme aligns with the t…
The Effects of Undergraduate Financing on Advanced Degree Attainment
This study examines the effects of undergraduate financing on subsequent advanced degree attainment in a context characterized by a shift away from traditional grant aid programs and toward widespread student loans. Using data from the National Survey of College Graduates, 2SLS Lewbel method regressions estimate the effects of having received undergraduate grant aid and having student loan debt on the chances of attaining an advanced degree durin…
Closure and matching payoffs from college majors
This article examines the undergraduate major as a closure mechanism in occupations among college graduates, using the American Community Surveys. We measure the college major density of occupations, termed "major specialization", finding that greater major specialization of an occupation is associated with higher earnings, over and above previously identified closure devices (licensure, unionization, and vertical educational credentialing), and …
Racial Gaps in Career Mobility during the Great Migration
The author investigates whether the Great Migration closed or mitigated racial disparities in career advancement. Using linked historical census data, tracking individuals from the early twentieth century, the author analyzes the occupational mobility of Black and White men who came of age during the Great Migration. The author uses two longitudinal analyses of occupational status over a 30-year period (e.g., 1900–1930 and 1910–1940) to compare c…
What Drives Immigrant Inequalities in Career Growth in the Age of Mass Migration
This article examines the association between modernization and career growth of American men and European immigrants, focusing on heterogeneity along ancestry, ethnicity, and early-career class position. Analyses rely on datasets built with individual-level linked historical Censuses (1901–1940), which longitudinally map socio-economic indices of full occupational careers of late-nineteenth-century population birth cohorts (1884–1891). Moderniza…
Class origin closure: Economic advantages of occupational elitism
This study investigates the role of class origin compositions of micro-occupations in creating economic inequalities using three decades of British longitudinal surveys. Drawing on social closure theory, we analyze how class origin contributes to between-occupation earnings disparities and class origin earnings inequality at the individual level. Using fine-grained data on the class origins of occupational incumbents, we construct a robust indica…
Demographic economics (17 works) · Economics (16 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Psychology (12 works) · Economic growth (11 works) · Political science (11 works) · Labor market dynamics and wage inequality (10 works) · Higher Education Research Studies (9 works) · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies (9 works) · Earnings (8 works)