Dr. Laura Fürsich

Biography

Laura Fürsich studies the link between social network ties and ethnic residential segregation, focusing on the dynamics of social influence and the built environment. Her dissertation examines complex relationships within institutional frameworks and how network influences shape residential social space. Methodologically, she develops innovative strategies for exploiting depth register data to enhance causal identification, using administrative register data alongside open source data such as OpenStreetMap. Her research primarily investigates how urban environments influence the formation of network ties and examines the spatial distribution of these ties in relation to patterns perpetuating residential segregation. Försich's ongoing projects utilize population-level Swedish micro-data and apply a mix of advanced methods, including matching algorithms, discrete choice models, agent-based models, and counterfactual simulations. She holds an academic background in economics and sociology from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and has focused her studies on social stratification within labor markets. Prior to her dissertation, she worked at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Berlin and held positions in designing field experiments to study social stratification in schools.

Research Interests