Lauren Rivera
@larivera.bsky.social
Sociologist at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management studying gatekeeping and inequalities in organizations. Author of Pedigree: How Elite Students Get Elite Jobs.
https://www.laurenarivera.com/
https://www.laurenarivera.com/
Pinned
Lauren Rivera
@larivera.bsky.social
· Feb 27
Many Medicaid recipients do not know they receive it because Medicaid is called different things in different states. The public narrative of Medicaid focuses on a distant other, but 40% of US children and 60% of nursing home residents receive Medicaid. Just SOME of the names by state are below:
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
November 15, 2025 at 6:15 AM
“Don’t let the bastards grind you down. I love you all.”
My partner's employer added an 'employed spouse penalty' for any employees with working spouses who enroll in the company's (rather than spouse's) health plan. It directly penalizes dual career couples and those with preexisting conditions who need decent coverage. Anyone else seeing this?
November 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
My partner's employer added an 'employed spouse penalty' for any employees with working spouses who enroll in the company's (rather than spouse's) health plan. It directly penalizes dual career couples and those with preexisting conditions who need decent coverage. Anyone else seeing this?
Many Americans will be in for a shock tomorrow when they realize they or their loved ones rely on SNAP, which is known by different names in some states:
AL - Food Assistance Program
AK - Food Stamp Program
AZ - Nutrition Assistance
CA - CalFresh
CO - Food Assistance Program
AL - Food Assistance Program
AK - Food Stamp Program
AZ - Nutrition Assistance
CA - CalFresh
CO - Food Assistance Program
October 31, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Many Americans will be in for a shock tomorrow when they realize they or their loved ones rely on SNAP, which is known by different names in some states:
AL - Food Assistance Program
AK - Food Stamp Program
AZ - Nutrition Assistance
CA - CalFresh
CO - Food Assistance Program
AL - Food Assistance Program
AK - Food Stamp Program
AZ - Nutrition Assistance
CA - CalFresh
CO - Food Assistance Program
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
If you haven't read Estela Diaz and Lauren Rivera's excellent paper on how private schools manage kids with disabilities, you're missing out.
100 percent. And they explicitly exclude children they believe are neurodivergent or have any type of disability.
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
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urldefense.com
May 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
If you haven't read Estela Diaz and Lauren Rivera's excellent paper on how private schools manage kids with disabilities, you're missing out.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
LMM framing is that parents will choose schools for their children. That is absolutely false. Private schools will choose their kids, based on criteria that would mangle your brain.
Trust me, I've read hundreds of private school applications. Mind blowing stuff.
Trust me, I've read hundreds of private school applications. Mind blowing stuff.
May 21, 2025 at 2:33 PM
LMM framing is that parents will choose schools for their children. That is absolutely false. Private schools will choose their kids, based on criteria that would mangle your brain.
Trust me, I've read hundreds of private school applications. Mind blowing stuff.
Trust me, I've read hundreds of private school applications. Mind blowing stuff.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
Deaths from heart disease down 75%, that’s NIH.
Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.
HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.
99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.
Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.
Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.
HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.
99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.
Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.
April 28, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Deaths from heart disease down 75%, that’s NIH.
Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.
HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.
99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.
Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.
Deaths from stroke down 75%, that’s NIH.
HIV/AIDS no longer a death sentence, that’s NIH.
99% of FDA approved drugs in the last decade, that’s NIH.
Please show this video to anyone who doesn’t understand why the NIH is so important.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.
Pass it on!
Pass it on!
April 21, 2025 at 1:06 PM
This is incredibly cool: if you search for a condition that’s affected your family, the site returns stats on how much NIH has done for that disease, *and* a contact form for reaching out to tell your Members of Congress why you want to see them defend NIH.
Pass it on!
Pass it on!
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
Guys, I love all of you, but the answer to RFK, Jr. is not that autistic adults hold jobs, pay taxes, and get laid, it's that everyone deserves to live even if they can't work, pay taxes, or get laid.
April 17, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Guys, I love all of you, but the answer to RFK, Jr. is not that autistic adults hold jobs, pay taxes, and get laid, it's that everyone deserves to live even if they can't work, pay taxes, or get laid.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
Number of people who go bankrupt every year because of medical bills or illness-related work loss:
Australia 0
Canada 0
Denmark 0
Finland 0
France 0
Germany 0
Iceland 0
Ireland 0
Italy 0
Japan 0
Netherlands 0
Norway 0
Portugal 0
Spain 0
Sweden 0
UK 0
United States 530,000
There’s a lesson there.
Australia 0
Canada 0
Denmark 0
Finland 0
France 0
Germany 0
Iceland 0
Ireland 0
Italy 0
Japan 0
Netherlands 0
Norway 0
Portugal 0
Spain 0
Sweden 0
UK 0
United States 530,000
There’s a lesson there.
April 10, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Number of people who go bankrupt every year because of medical bills or illness-related work loss:
Australia 0
Canada 0
Denmark 0
Finland 0
France 0
Germany 0
Iceland 0
Ireland 0
Italy 0
Japan 0
Netherlands 0
Norway 0
Portugal 0
Spain 0
Sweden 0
UK 0
United States 530,000
There’s a lesson there.
Australia 0
Canada 0
Denmark 0
Finland 0
France 0
Germany 0
Iceland 0
Ireland 0
Italy 0
Japan 0
Netherlands 0
Norway 0
Portugal 0
Spain 0
Sweden 0
UK 0
United States 530,000
There’s a lesson there.
How do the most elite US private schools, which serve as Ivy League feeders, select their youngest members? In a new ASR article w/ @estelabdiaz.bsky.social, we show that schools explicitly design their early childhood admissions practices to identify—and exclude—disabled or neurodivergent children🧵
March 25, 2025 at 4:51 PM
How do the most elite US private schools, which serve as Ivy League feeders, select their youngest members? In a new ASR article w/ @estelabdiaz.bsky.social, we show that schools explicitly design their early childhood admissions practices to identify—and exclude—disabled or neurodivergent children🧵
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
I will never stop trying to get people to care about Medicaid. And if you're on it -- or are close to someone who is (and LOTS of more affluent people do) -- please help. My column for the weekend. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/y...
Medicaid Is a Middle-Class Benefit. Here’s What to Know.
If you have a parent short on savings, a disabled adult child or a minor with special needs, Medicaid may be your backstop. Plenty of people are unaware.
www.nytimes.com
March 21, 2025 at 3:08 PM
I will never stop trying to get people to care about Medicaid. And if you're on it -- or are close to someone who is (and LOTS of more affluent people do) -- please help. My column for the weekend. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/21/y...
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
As Medicaid cuts become a possibility, it's key to understand the scope of the program and its many names. H/t to @jessicacalarco.bsky.social and @larivera.bsky.social for the idea and to Melissa Hafner at @airinforms.bsky.social for further context.
finance.yahoo.com/news/medicai...
finance.yahoo.com/news/medicai...
Medicaid goes by many names. Will Americans realize if it gets cut?
States, which administer federal Medicaid funds, often change the name of the program to get more people to sign up. Studies find this causes confusion about who benefits from the program.
finance.yahoo.com
March 5, 2025 at 2:17 PM
As Medicaid cuts become a possibility, it's key to understand the scope of the program and its many names. H/t to @jessicacalarco.bsky.social and @larivera.bsky.social for the idea and to Melissa Hafner at @airinforms.bsky.social for further context.
finance.yahoo.com/news/medicai...
finance.yahoo.com/news/medicai...
Many Medicaid recipients do not know they receive it because Medicaid is called different things in different states. The public narrative of Medicaid focuses on a distant other, but 40% of US children and 60% of nursing home residents receive Medicaid. Just SOME of the names by state are below:
February 27, 2025 at 4:46 PM
Many Medicaid recipients do not know they receive it because Medicaid is called different things in different states. The public narrative of Medicaid focuses on a distant other, but 40% of US children and 60% of nursing home residents receive Medicaid. Just SOME of the names by state are below:
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
It is really hard to watch people willfully tear down an infrastructure that allowed us to double lifespans, drastically reduce poverty, and become one of the richest countries in the world.
February 26, 2025 at 11:16 PM
It is really hard to watch people willfully tear down an infrastructure that allowed us to double lifespans, drastically reduce poverty, and become one of the richest countries in the world.
Interested in a nudge that can reduce the expression of racial bias in performance evaluations? In the March issue of @nature.com, I cover excellent new work by @tristanbotelho.bsky.social, Sora Jun, Demetrius Humes, and
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Racial bias eliminated when ratings switch from five stars to thumbs up or down | Nature
Implementing a performance-rating system with a two-point scale instead of a five-point scale could be an easy way to temper racial prejudices and tangibly improve income equality for workers from under-represented groups. Switch in performance-rating system could reduce racial pay gap.
urldefense.com
February 19, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Interested in a nudge that can reduce the expression of racial bias in performance evaluations? In the March issue of @nature.com, I cover excellent new work by @tristanbotelho.bsky.social, Sora Jun, Demetrius Humes, and
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
@decelles.bsky.social. Links below:
urldefense.com/v3/__https:/...
Curious how elite reproduction occurs in a more egalitarian society? Check out new work with fabulous PhD student and lead author Lisa Maria Breistein Sølvberg where we examine elite hiring in Norway.
February 14, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Curious how elite reproduction occurs in a more egalitarian society? Check out new work with fabulous PhD student and lead author Lisa Maria Breistein Sølvberg where we examine elite hiring in Norway.
Thank you to @durlauf.bsky.social and @ucstonecenter.bsky.social for a fabulous and timely opportunity to share my research on the limits of meritocracy.
1/ Very glad this terrific conversation with @larivera.bsky.social just posted. LR's research provides powerful criticisms of putatively meritocratic decision rules in contexts ranging from elite pre-schools to elite employers.
If meritocracy determines success, how does elite reproduction persist? @larivera.bsky.social examines how hiring at top firms often reinforces privilege rather than rewarding merit. Join her conversation with @durlauf.bsky.social on meritocracy.
Listen every other Monday:
Website: bit.ly/3YdiCkj
Listen every other Monday:
Website: bit.ly/3YdiCkj
February 11, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Thank you to @durlauf.bsky.social and @ucstonecenter.bsky.social for a fabulous and timely opportunity to share my research on the limits of meritocracy.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
Hi, I am @motherjones.com' disability reporter. In the following weeks, I am very interested in hearing how tariff nonsense impacts getting your meds and medical equipment. My email to get in touch is jmetraux@motherjones.com. Reposts appreciated.
February 2, 2025 at 11:47 PM
Hi, I am @motherjones.com' disability reporter. In the following weeks, I am very interested in hearing how tariff nonsense impacts getting your meds and medical equipment. My email to get in touch is jmetraux@motherjones.com. Reposts appreciated.
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
This issue brief titled "Racial Disparities in Government Contracting" is one of the last things I worked on at the CEA. It is very timely and very much worth reading.
bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/cea/written-...
bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/cea/written-...
Racial Disparities in Government Contracting | CEA | The White House
Executive Summary This report from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) uses data from studies of state and local government contracting, documents racial gaps in contracting dollars, an...
bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov
January 26, 2025 at 12:21 AM
This issue brief titled "Racial Disparities in Government Contracting" is one of the last things I worked on at the CEA. It is very timely and very much worth reading.
bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/cea/written-...
bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/cea/written-...
Thank you to @kellogginsight.bsky.social for this great writeup of research with @kateweisshaar.bsky.social and András Tilcsik on COVID impact statements and faculty tenure decisions, published in @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/when...
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/when...
When Our Work Is Disrupted, the Story We Tell Matters
Pandemic-era lab, school, and daycare closures threatened the careers of people in “up or out” professions. Employees benefited from the opportunity to frame these productivity lapses as temporary and...
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu
December 4, 2024 at 7:53 PM
Thank you to @kellogginsight.bsky.social for this great writeup of research with @kateweisshaar.bsky.social and András Tilcsik on COVID impact statements and faculty tenure decisions, published in @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/when...
insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/when...
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
"women are less likely to be tenured overall and in every field."
This month in our journal, @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
This month in our journal, @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
NEW: Mana Nakagawa, Christine Min Wotipka, Elizabeth Buckner, "Opportunities for Faculty Tenure at Globally Ranked Universities: Cross-National Differences by Gender, Fields, and Tenure Status"
sociologicalscience.com
December 1, 2024 at 9:26 AM
"women are less likely to be tenured overall and in every field."
This month in our journal, @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
This month in our journal, @sociologicalsci.bsky.social
Reposted by Lauren Rivera
Really cannot be stressed enough that 'meritocracy' was coined in a satirical novel by a sociologist meant to ridicule the concept ('a dystopian society in a future United Kingdom in which merit (defined as IQ + effort) has become the central tenet of society')
November 20, 2024 at 1:25 PM
Really cannot be stressed enough that 'meritocracy' was coined in a satirical novel by a sociologist meant to ridicule the concept ('a dystopian society in a future United Kingdom in which merit (defined as IQ + effort) has become the central tenet of society')