Agata Troost

Agata Troost

Social research and theory

Hi! I’m a social scientist, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. On this website you can find information about my current projects, links to my publications and a contact form (EN/PL/NL).

VU website || LinkedIn || Google Scholar

CURRENT RESEARCH themes

  • Housing affordability crisis and mental well-being (with Mark van Duijn; ESSPIN)
  • Social infrastructure and well-being (with Esther Bunk and Richard Rijnks; ESSPIN)
  • Retention and attraction of talent in EU regions (with Thijs Broekhuizen and Sierdjan Koster; TALENT4S3)
  • Social mobility and social infrastructure (with Mathieu Steijn)
  • Experiences of inequality in the UK and Poland (with Alicia Fortuin and Sander van Lanen; ESSPIN)
  • Social class schemes and class consciousness (with Jaap Nieuwenhuis and Jonathan Mijs)
  • Women’s political engagement and social class

phd thesis

The diverse pathways of social inequality transmission in the neighbourhood (available as a free pdf or as a book)

peer-reviewed publications

Troost, A. A., Manley, D.J., & van Ham, M. (2025). Do you see it how I see it? Differences in neighborhood perceptions explained by individuals’ socioeconomic characteristics and trust attitudes. Urban Geography, 1–21.

Troost, A. A., van Ham, M., & Manley, D.J. (2023). Neighbourhood effects on educational attainment. What matters more: Exposure to poverty or exposure to affluence? PLOS One, 18(3).

Troost, A.A., Janssen, H.J., & van Ham, M. (2022). Neighbourhood histories and educational attainment: The role of accumulation, duration, timing and sequencing of exposure to poverty. Urban Studies, 60(4).

Troost, A.A., van Ham, M., & Janssen, H.J. (2022). Modelling Neighbourhood Effects in Three Dutch Cities Controlling for Selection. Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy, 15(2).

Preprints

Troost, A.A. & van Leeuwen, M.H.D. War and Peace and INGOs.

Troost, A.A., & van Assen, M.A.L.M. Big data in sociological research: will they change the game? (MSc thesis)

Jacobin nederland articles

Troost, A. (2024). Bezuinigingen in hoger onderwijs maken de universiteit nog mannelijker en elitairder. [Budget cuts in higher education make the universities even more male and elitist.] Jacobin Nederland

Troost, A. (2023). Van lifestyle naar klasse: Waarom een relationeel klassebegrip nodig is om ongelijkheid te begrijpen. [From lifestyle to class: Why a relational concept of class is necessary to understand inequality.] Jacobin Nederland

other publications

Troost, A. (2025). De echte ongelijkheid: Boekbespreking ‘De net-niet elite’. [The real inequality: Book review ‘De net-niet elite’.] Beleid en Maatschappij, 52(3), 274-277.

Nieuwenhuis, J., Mijs, J. & Troost, A. (2025). Opinie: Het Sociaal en Cultureel Planbureau hanteert een dubieuze klassenindeling. [Opinion piece with a critique of an approach to social class in a report by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research.] De Volkskrant

Troost, A. (2024). Opiniestuk over bezuinigingen op hoger onderwijs en de kloof tussen de universiteiten en de samenleving. [Opinion piece about the budget cuts in higher education and the distance between the universities and society.] Trouw

Zienkiewicz, J., Troost, A. & van der Merwe, R.L. (2024). Waar zijn universiteiten goed voor? [Why do we need universities?] Joop

Broekhuizen, T., Koster, S. & Troost, A. (2024). Regional Brain Drain: Comparative Analysis of European Strategies for Talent Retention and Smart Specialization. Interreg Europe

Custers, G., Bolt, G., van Gent, W., Hochstenbach, C., Kleinhans, R., van Lanen, S., van Liemt, I., Nieuwenhuis, J., Rath, J. & Troost, A. (2024). Bewoners van de kwetsbaarste wijken hebben niets aan kunstmatige sociale menging. [Inhabitants of vulnerable neighbourhoods do not benefit from artificial social mix.] De Volkskrant (also published in Sociale Vraagstukken)

Troost, A. (2020). Segregacja w miastach: błędne koła nierówności? [Urban segregation: vicious circles of inequality?] Równość

Troost, A. (2014). Wojny robotów: koniec pracy, który nie przyniesie odpoczynku? [Robot wars: the end of labour which won’t bring rest?] Res Publica Nowa

Troost, A. (2014). Moje pokolenie, czyli moi znajomi. [My generation, or more precisely my friends.] Res Publica Nowa

media

Wijken uit balans: hoe worden ze weer veilig en leefbaar? [Neighbourhoods out of balance: how can they become safe and livable again?], Movisie online talkshow episode (2024, in Dutch).

when i’m not doing research…

…I spend my time on literature, politics, films & TV, birdwatching, drawing, and “toy camera” photography