Hannah Postel, Duke University
Subgroup Disparities in Automated Census Record Linkage (with Ran Abramitzky, Leah Boustan, and Katherine Eriksson)
About the Presentation
The automated linking of historical census records allows researchers to answer important socioeconomic questions about intergenerational mobility, immigrant assimilation, and more. We often assess automated linking methods by analyzing match rates and accuracy of the full census population. These measures vary substantially by population subgroup, such as for racial minorities and immigrant groups. This paper aims to understand why certain subgroups are more difficult to link than others and provides solutions to increase match rates and accuracy. Improving record linkage for immigrants and racial minority groups will both reduce prior bias in overall linked samples and enable study of group-specific experiences that were previously undetectable.
About the Speaker
Hannah Postel is Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy and faculty affiliate of the Duke Population Research Institute (DuPRI) and Duke Center for International Development (DCID). She uses novel data to explore the relationship between migration and economic development and provide historical perspective on population movements and policies. Hannah received her PhD in Demography and Social Policy from Princeton University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University. Prior research has been published in the American Economic Review and Population and Development Review among other outlets.
Seminar Format
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