aeaweb.org
Education and Partisanship
(Forthcoming Article) - Education weakens the historical link between income and partisanship across democracies,
challenging classical models of political economy. Using administrative data on
millions of voters exposed to discontinuities in compulsory schooling laws and college
admissions in Florida and California, I show that both the extensive margin of years of
high school education and the intensive margin of college selectivity can reduce Republican
Party affiliation. Effects generalize across generations (1969 to present), settings,
and institutions. Results are consistent with peer socialization shaping sociocultural
attitudes alongside career-path mechanisms, rather than deliberate instructor-driven
persuasion.
![Screenshot of front matter.
The Impact of Abortion Bans on the Physician Labor Market: Compositional and Pipeline Effects*
Ethan Bergmann†
August 28, 2026
[Most recent version here]
Abstract
I study the physician labor market after Dobbs, which allowed states to enforce abortion bans. I link quarterly obstetrician-gynecologist (OBGYN) locations to political contributions and use synthetic difference-in-differences to compare provider supply and migration between total-ban and abortion-protecting states. I find no aggregate supply decline. However, this stability masks compositional changes: relative per-capita supply falls for female, early-career, top-ranked, and Democratic-donating providers, while male and unranked supply increases. These shifts are more consistent with workforce entry and exit than migration by existing providers. Together, Dobbs polarized the U.S. OBGYN workforce, with implications for reproductive-care access and future supply.
JEL Codes: I11, I18, J44, J61
Keywords: abortion policy, physician labor markets, political sorting](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:te2ri7usmycg2c4vkpfonizq/bafkreie3mpcerlg45nopdxtqrynbtfpsdnqwecarlrwi6pm5f3y5s6a73i)
