Publication

Black, S. E., Liepmann, H., Remigereau, C., and Spitz-Oener, A. (2022). Government aid and child refugees' economic success later in life: Evidence from post-WWII GDR refugees. Labour Economics, 75:102099. Download at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2021.102099.  EALE Labour Economics Prize for the best paper published in Labour Economics in 2022

Working papers

Bringing in the far right: The electoral impact of the French Algerian repatriates, find the latest version here (Available at SSRN)

Abstract: This paper examines how repatriated populations from former colonies affect election outcomes in the mainland. Algeria became independent on July 3, 1962, after more than a hundred years under French colonial rule. Fearing for their safety, the French Algerians of European descent fled the country massively and suddenly. I assemble a data set consisting of census and electoral data stretching from 1945 to 2022. I exploit the uneven distribution of the repatriates from Algeria across municipalities and within electoral districts to measure their impact on vote shares. I find that an increase in the share of repatriates led to a lasting increase in far-right vote shares within districts. I provide direct evidence on how the political preferences of the repatriates fueled this rise that persisted over time and generations. Analyzing the dynamic impact of the repatriation shock from the 1965 to 2022 elections reveals a shift in repatriates' motivations: initially rooted in appeals to their material interests, their support for the far right later became primarily driven by anti-immigration concerns. 

The impact of student aid eligibility on higher education applications, with Clara Schäper (DIW Discussion Paper available here) 

Abstract: This study examines how student aid eligibility influences application decisions to higher education using administrative data from France. We study the impact of a change in income thresholds for aid eligibility. We find that aid eligibility did not have a uniform effect on students' applications but varied by gender and academic performance. High-performing male students shifted their First-Ranked application from non-selective to selective long-term programs. Yet, female students did not show a systematic response. We suggest that female students were more certain in their application choices, while male students faced stronger financial constraints than females when attending long-term selective programs.

Work in progress

Jewish deportation in wartime France, with Sascha O. Becker and Pauline Grosjean