The JHR

@J_HumanResource

The Journal of Human Resources is a leading journal in empirical microeconomics, with a focus on policy-relevant research.

Madison, WI jhr.uwpress.org Joined February 2017

761 Following 6.4K Followers 1.9K Posts

Latest posts 5

The JHR @J_HumanResource 3d

Mass layoffs cause #migrant earnings to drop by as much as 23% compared to natives. @BalgovaMaria & Hannah Illing suggest two key mechanisms: sorting into lower-quality firms and less advantageous networks than natives.

doi.org/10.3368/jhr.11…

Abstract
This paper examines the differential impact of job displacement on migrants and natives. Using administrative data for Germany from 1997–2016, we identify mass layoffs and estimate the trajectory of earnings and employment of observationally similar migrants and natives displaced from the same establishment. Despite similar pre-layoff careers, migrants’ earnings losses are about 23% larger in the first five years after displacement. This gap arises from both lower re-employment probabilities and post-layoff wages and is not driven by selective return migration. Key mechanisms include sorting into lower-quality firms and relying on lower-quality coworker networks during job search.

The JHR @J_HumanResource Oct 31

What happens to fertility before anticipated #employment shocks? In this #OpenAccess article, Anna Bárdits, Anna Adamecz, Márta Bisztray, Andrea Weber & Ágnes Szabó-Morvai find that anticipated mass layoffs increase childbirth by 50% among Hungarian women

doi.org/10.3368/jhr.10…

Open Access
Anticipatory Fertility
Conceptions, Births, and Abortions around Employment Shocks
Anna Bárdits, Anna Adamecz, Márta Bisztray, Andrea Weber and Ágnes Szabó-Morvai
Published online before print September 09, 2026, 1025-14577R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1025-14577R2

Abstract
We study fertility responses to employment shocks using unique Hungarian administrative data linking firm-level mass layoff and closure events to individual-level birth and abortion records. We show that the main fertility response occurs in anticipation and differs by shock type. The number of conceptions leading to births increases in the year preceding a mass layoff (when maternal employment protection is available), but not before a firm closure (without employment protection). We interpret this result as evidence of anticipatory fertility behavior: women tend to schedule childbirth when job loss can be avoided.

The JHR @J_HumanResource Oct 24

In our new #SpecialIssue, @smilleralert, @PerssonPetra, @maya_rossin, & @LaurawherryR analyze the effects of a c-section reduction intervention. Mothers had 2.1% more employment return & 15.2% less subsequent preterm delivery.

doi.org/10.3368/jhr.10…

#EconomicsOfChildren

The Labor Market and Health Impacts of Reducing Cesarean Section Deliveries
Sarah Miller, Petra Persson, Maya Rossin-Slater and Laura R. Wherry
Published online before print September 09, 2026, 1025-14609R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.1025-14609R2

Abstract
We study an intervention that reduced cesarean deliveries among low-risk first-time mothers, using California birth records linked to earnings data. Exposed mothers were 8% less likely to have a c-section, with no adverse health effects. We find suggestive evidence that they were more likely to return to their pre-birth employer and had higher within-firm earnings rankings in the quarter postbirth. These labor market gains fade over time. However, mothers who had a second child were less likely to have a c-section or preterm delivery, suggesting our estimated effects from avoiding a first c-section may be lower bounds on total gains.

The JHR @J_HumanResource Oct 17

Cognitive behavioral #therapy curbs violence in jails. @BatistichMK, William N. Evans, @econburner, & Rebecca Margolit-Chan found that Step Up, a local Texas inmate therapy program, reduced monthly behavioral incident rates by 49% and assaults by 50%.

doi.org/10.3368/jhr.03…

Therapy to Reduce Violence and Improve Institutional Safety During Incarceration
Mary Kate Batistich, William N. Evans, Tyler Giles and Rebecca Margolit-Chan
Published online before print August 07, 2026, 0325-14167R2; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.0325-14167R2

Abstract
We evaluate the impact of Step Up, a cognitive behavioral therapy program provided to inmates at the Lubbock County Detention Center in Texas. Step Up aims to address self-destructive thought and behavior patterns through a combination of group classes, one-on-one counseling, and a structured workbook. We compare individuals over time who enter the Step Up program to a group of eligible and interested nonparticipants in an unbalanced two-way fixed effects framework. Despite similarities in initial outcomes and outcome trends prior to program entrance, individuals who enter Step Up exhibit a 49% reduction in monthly behavioral incident rates relative to the comparison group. We find evidence that behavioral improveme

The JHR @J_HumanResource Oct 10

What drove increased interracial #marriage rates in the late 20th century? Cameron Deal finds that decreasing residential and regional segregation, along with the Great Migration, increased interracial marriage rates between 1950-2000.

doi.org/10.3368/jhr.11…