Publications

Monographies

  • 1 Schaeffer, Merlin (2016). Ethnic Diversity and Social Cohesion: Immigration, Ethnic Fractionalization and Potentials for Civic Action. London: Routledge. Cover endorsements by Robert Putnam (Harvard), Miles Hewstone (Oxford), and Michael Banton (Bristol).

Journal Articles

  • 32 ★Wiedner, Jonas, Merlin Schaeffer, Sarah Carol, and Susanne Böller (2026). "Local Communities, Distant Origins: How Cultural Distance and Local Context Shape Immigrant Ethno-Religious Infrastructures." American Journal of Sociology. DOI
  • 31 Friis, Camilla B., Merlin Schaeffer, Juliane Starcke Neergaard, and Lasse Suonperä Liebst (2026). "Body-Worn Cameras to Prevent Workplace Aggression Among Ticket Inspectors: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial." PLOS ONE.
  • 30 Heisig, Jan Paul, Pablo Garcia, Séamus Power, Thomas Morten, Rebecca Udsen, and Merlin Schaeffer (forthcoming). "Schools, childcare infrastructures, and mothers' time use and psychological well-being: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in Denmark." Acta Sociologica. DOI
  • 29 Breznau, Nate, Eike Mark Rinke, Alexander Wuttke, […] Merlin Schaeffer, […] +162 other authors (2025). "The reliability of replications: A study in computational reproductions." Royal Society Open Science 12(3): 241038.
  • 28 ★Schaeffer, Merlin, Krzysztof Krakowski, and Asmus Olsen (2024). "Correcting Misperceptions about Ethno-Racial Discrimination: The Limits of Evidence-Based Awareness Raising to Promote Support for Equal-Treatment Policies." American Journal of Political Science 70(1): 54–75. DOI
  • 27 Wiedner, Jonas & Merlin Schaeffer (2025). "Spatial Overlap: Trade-offs in Refugees' Residential Choices." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 51(5): 1075–1097.
  • 26 Schaeffer, Merlin and Judith Kas (2025). "The integration paradox: Does awareness of the extent of ethno-racial discrimination increase reports of discrimination?" Political Psychology 46(3): 623–636.
  • 25 Schaeffer, Merlin and Judith Kas (2024). "The Integration Paradox: A Review and Meta-Analysis of the Complex Relationship Between Integration and Reports of Discrimination." International Migration Review 58(3): 1384–1409.
  • 24 Power, Séamus, Merlin Schaeffer, Jan Paul Heisig, Rebecca Udsen, Liisalotte Ordóñez-Bueso, and Thomas Morton (2024). "Imagining Life Beyond a Crisis: A Four Quadrant Model to Conceptualize Possible Futures." Culture & Psychology 30(2): 411–430.
  • 23 Jünger, Stefan and Merlin Schaeffer (2023). "Ethnic Diversity and Social Integration — What are the Consequences of Ethnic Residential Boundaries and Halos for Social Integration in Germany?" Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und SozialPsychologie 75: 179–203.
  • 22 Power, Séamus, Merlin Schaeffer, Jan Paul Heisig, Rebecca Udsen, and Thomas Morton (2023). "Why trust? A mixed-method investigation of the origins and meaning of trust during the COVID-19 lockdown in Denmark." British Journal of Social Psychology 62(3): 1376–1394.
  • 21 Schaeffer, Merlin and Mikkel Haderup Larsen (2023). "Who Should Get Vaccinated First? Limits of Solidarity during the First Week of the Danish Vaccination Programme." European Sociological Review 39(1): 1–13.
  • 20 Breznau, Nate, Eike Mark Rinke, Alexander Wuttke, […] Merlin Schaeffer, […] +162 other authors (2022). "Observing many researchers using the same data and hypothesis reveals a hidden universe of uncertainty." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119(44): e2203150119.
  • 19 Wiedner, Jonas, Merlin Schaeffer, and Sarah Carol (2022). "Ethno-Religious Neighborhood Infrastructures and the Well-being of Immigrants and their Descendants in Germany." Urban Studies 59(14): 2985–3004.
  • 18 Larsen, Mikkel H. and Merlin Schaeffer (2021). "Healthcare chauvinism during the COVID-19 pandemic." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 47(7): 1455–1473.
  • 17 Elff, Martin, Jan Paul Heisig, Merlin Schaeffer, and Susumu Shikano (2021). "Rejoinder to Daniel Stegmueller's Comments." British Journal of Political Science 51(1): 460–462.
  • 16 Elff, Martin, Jan Paul Heisig, Merlin Schaeffer, and Susumu Shikano (2021). "Multilevel Analysis with Few Clusters: Improving Likelihood-Based Methods to Provide Unbiased Estimates and Accurate Inference." British Journal of Political Science 51(1): 412–426.
  • 15 ★Dinesen, Peter, Merlin Schaeffer, and Kim Sønderskov (2020). "Ethnic Diversity and Social Trust: A Narrative and Meta-Analytical Review." Annual Review of Political Science 23: 441–465.
  • 14 Wiedner, Jonas and Merlin Schaeffer (2020). "Career trajectories into undereducation. Which skills and resources substitute formal education in the intergenerational transmission of advantage?" Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 68: 100526.
  • 13 Heisig, Jan Paul and Merlin Schaeffer (2020). "The Educational System and the Ethnic Skills Gap among the Working-Age Population: An Analysis of 16 Western Immigration Countries." Socius 6.
  • 12 Heisig, Jan Paul and Merlin Schaeffer (2019). "Why You Should Always Include a Random Slope for the Lower-Level Variable Involved in a Cross-Level Interaction." European Sociological Review 35(2): 258–279.
  • 11 Schaeffer, Merlin (2019). "Social Mobility and Perceived Discrimination: Adding an Intergenerational Perspective." European Sociological Review 35(2): 258–279.
  • 10 Klinger, Julia, Stefan Jünger, and Merlin Schaeffer (2018). "Der Halo-Effekt in einheimisch-homogenen Nachbarschaften. Steigert die ethnische Diversität angrenzender Nachbarschaften die Xenophobie in Deutschland?" Zeitschrift für Soziologie 46(6): 402–419.
  • 9 ★Heisig, Jan Paul, Merlin Schaeffer, and Johannes Giesecke (2017). "The Costs of Simplicity: Why Multilevel Models May Benefit from Accounting for Cross-Cluster Differences in the Effects of Controls." American Sociological Review 82(4): 796–827.
  • 8 ★Legewie, Joscha and Merlin Schaeffer (2016). "Contested Boundaries: Explaining Where Ethnoracial Diversity Provokes Neighborhood Conflict." American Journal of Sociology 122(1): 125–161. ASA Mathematical Sociology Award 2017 · ASA Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship in Population 2016
  • 7 Schaeffer, Merlin, Jutta Höhne, and Céline Teney (2016). "Income Advantages of Poorly Qualified Immigrant Minorities: Why School Dropouts of Turkish Origin Earn More in Germany." European Sociological Review 32(1): 3–107. Anatol Rapoport Prize 2016
  • 6 Koopmans, Ruud and Merlin Schaeffer (2016). "Statistical and Perceived Diversity and Their Impacts on Neighborhood Social Cohesion in Germany, France and the Netherlands." Social Indicators Research 125: 853–883.
  • 5 Koopmans, Ruud and Merlin Schaeffer (2015). "Relational diversity and neighbourhood cohesion. Unpacking variety, balance and in-group size." Social Science Research 53: 162–176.
  • 4 Schaeffer, Merlin (2014). "The Social Meaning of Inherited Financial Assets. Moral Ambivalences of Intergenerational Transfers." Forum: Qualitative Social Research 15(1): Art. 13. Reprint in Historical Social Research 2014, 39(3/4).
  • 3 Schaeffer, Merlin (2013). "Can competing diversity indices inform us about why ethnic diversity erodes social cohesion? A test of five diversity indices in Germany." Social Science Research 42(3): 755–774.
  • 2 Schaeffer, Merlin (2013). "Inter-Ethnic Neighbourhood Acquaintances of Migrants and Natives in Germany: On the Brokering Roles of Inter-Ethnic Partners and Children." Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies 39(8): 1219–1240.
  • 1 Schaeffer, Merlin (2013). "Which groups are mostly responsible for problems in your neighbourhood?" Ethnic and Racial Studies 36(1): 156–178.

Edited Volumes

  • 1 Koopmans, Ruud, Bram Lancee, and Merlin Schaeffer (eds., 2015). Immigration and Social Cohesion in Europe and North America: Mechanisms, Conditions and Causality. London: Routledge.

Book Chapters

  • 4 Jünger, Stefan and Merlin Schaeffer (2022). "Der Halo-Effekt in Deutschland – Revisited. Sind Menschen, die in der Nähe von – aber nicht in – ethnisch diversen Nachbarschaften leben, besonders xenophob und rassistisch?" In: Kruse, Hanno and Janna Teltemann, Differenz im Raum: Sozialstruktur und Grenzziehung in deutschen Städten. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag: 195–218.
  • 3 Schaeffer, Merlin (2016). "Diversity erfassen: Statistische Diversitätsindizes." In: Genkova, Petia and Tobias Ringeisen, Handbuch Diversity Kompetenz. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag: 47–60.
  • 2 Koopmans, Ruud, Bram Lancee, and Merlin Schaeffer (2015). "Ethnic diversity in diverse societies: An introduction." In: Koopmans, Ruud, Bram Lancee and Merlin Schaeffer, Social Cohesion and Immigration in Europe and North America: Mechanisms, Conditions, and Causality. London: Routledge: 47–60.
  • 1 Lancee, Bram and Merlin Schaeffer (2015). "Moving to diversity: Residential mobility, changes in ethnic diversity, and concerns about immigration." In: Koopmans, Ruud, Bram Lancee and Merlin Schaeffer, Social Cohesion and Immigration in Europe and North America: Mechanisms, Conditions, and Causality. London: Routledge: 47–60.

Discussion Papers & Technical Reports

  • 4 Schaeffer, Merlin, Judith Kas, and Pia Hagedorn (2023). "The Association between Actual and Perceived Discrimination (APAD): Technical Report." SocArXiv. DOI
  • 3 Schaeffer, Merlin (2013). "Ethnic diversity, public goods provision and social cohesion: Lessons from an inconclusive literature." WZB Discussion Paper No. SP VI 2013-103.
  • 2 Koopmans, Ruud, Anna Dunkel, Merlin Schaeffer, and Susanne Veit (2011). "Ethnische Diversität, soziales Vertrauen und Zivilengagement: Projektbericht." WZB Discussion Paper No. SP IV 2011-703.
  • 1 Schaeffer, Merlin, Ruud Koopmans, Susanne Veit, Mareike Wagner, and Jonas Wiedner (2011). "The Ethnic Diversity and Collective Action Survey (EDCAS): Technical report." WZB Discussion Paper No. SP IV 2011-701.

★ Flagship publications