Richard Nennstiel

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Bern, working in the Department of Sociology of Education. As a sociologist, I’ve always been interested in understanding the underlying dynamics that shape our societies, particularly those revolving around education and social stratification.

I thrive on the analytical richness of large-scale survey data and administrative data, which form the core of most of my research. This empirical basis enables me to dive into a broad range of fascinating topics that spark my interest. For instance, I delve into the investigation of social inequalities in competence development. I’m also drawn to the study of ethnic disadvantages during school-to-work transitions. In addition, I am keenly interested in the patterns of intergenerational mobility and how they have shifted over time.

My academic journey began at the University of Leipzig, where I earned both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, before moving on to obtain my PhD from the University of Bern. This journey has not only shaped my approach to research but also enriched my understanding of the field. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of seeing my research findings make their way into esteemed academic journals such as the European Sociological Review, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, and Zeitschrift für Soziologie.

selected publications

No Matthew effects and stable SES gaps in math and language achievement growth throughout schooling: Evidence from Germany

Richard Nennstiel

European sociological review, Dec 2022

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The extent to which achievement gaps become wider or narrower over the course of schooling is a topic that is widely discussed, both publicly and in educational research. This study examines whether absolute achievement (in language and math skills) and social origin gaps grow throughout the school career. To investigate the achievement growth of three German student cohorts (N = 14,273) at different stages of their school career (primary school, lower secondary school, and upper secondary school), I use multilevel models to estimate the effects of prior achievement and social origin on achievement growth. The results consistently suggest a negative association between prior achievement and subsequent growth; hence, initially low-performing students have higher achievement gains than initially high-performing students. Additionally, I find that social origin gaps remain stable over time. However, when controlling for initial achievement, slightly growing socio-economic status gaps can be observed.
@article{Nennstiel2022ESR, title = {No Matthew effects and stable SES gaps in math and language achievement growth throughout schooling: Evidence from Germany}, author = {Nennstiel, Richard}, journal = {European sociological review}, year = {2022}, month = dec, url = {}, doi = {10.1093/esr/jcac062}, }
Explaining ethnic differences in access to VET in German-speaking Switzerland: The effects of application behavior and resources

Richard Nennstiel

Zeitschrift für Soziologie, Mar 2022

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Abstract The aim of this paper is to explain ethnic differences in the transition from school to vocational education and training (VET) in German-speaking Switzerland. I examine the impact of application behavior and resource endowment on access to VET and the number of applications submitted. Even after controlling for differences in resource endowment, I find clear ethnic penalties in success rates and the number of applications submitted between natives and minority students. Once I introduce different application behavior in my models, ethnic differences in success rates either diminish sharply or even vanish. However, substantial ethnic penalties remain in the number of applications submitted. There are therefore indications of discrimination in the application process on the Swiss–German VET market.
@article{Nennstiel2022ZfS, title = {Explaining ethnic differences in access to VET in German-speaking Switzerland: The effects of application behavior and resources}, author = {Nennstiel, Richard}, journal = {Zeitschrift f{\"u}r Soziologie}, volume = {50}, number = {6}, pages = {396--414}, year = {2022}, month = mar, url = {https://doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2021-0024}, doi = {doi.org/10.1515/zfsoz-2021-0024}, publisher = {De Gruyter Oldenbourg}, }
On the way to becoming a society of downward mobility? Intergenerational occupational mobility in seven West German birth cohorts (1944–1978)

Richard Nennstiel

Research in social stratification and mobility, Apr 2021

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Many studies on social mobility use operationalizations of social positions that do not take occupational upgrading into account. In order to estimate social mobility patterns net of occupational upgrading, I propose an operationalization involving administrative data to measure social positions by applying a percentile approach. Based on this measurement I calculate absolute and relative intergenerational mobility patterns. Using this operationalization, I aim to answer the question of how far intergenerational mobility patterns have changed over time in West Germany. Therefore, I analyze the occupational data of 7,416 38- to 42-year-olds born between 1944 and 1978 belonging to the sixth starting cohort of the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). Compared to previous studies, I observe significantly higher rates of downward mobility. However, I do not find any cohort trends in absolute mobility rates and do not detect any changes in social fluidity patterns. I therefore conclude that there are no cohort trends in absolute or relative intergenerational mobility in West Germany, implying that it is not on its way to becoming a society of downward mobility. In contrast to previous studies, my results indicate high social fluidity and no changes in relative mobility over time. Hence, the picture of a rigid German social structure should be reconsidered.
@article{Nennstiel2021RSSM, title = {On the way to becoming a society of downward mobility? Intergenerational occupational mobility in seven West German birth cohorts (1944--1978)}, author = {Nennstiel, Richard}, journal = {Research in social stratification and mobility}, volume = {73}, pages = {100609}, year = {2021}, publisher = {Elsevier}, month = apr, url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2021.100609}, doi = {doi.org/10.1016/j.rssm.2021.100609}, }