DSOC 27A10 - Social Inequality and Policy Responses
Social inequality constitutes a key societal challenge in the 21st century. This course offers an introduction to the key concepts, theories, methodological approaches, and empirical evidence on social inequality. The first part of the course focuses the structure of inequality and asks: What are the principal ‘fault lines' and social cleavages along which society is structured? The second part discusses the reproduction of social inequality across generations and asks: Who gets to occupy privileged positions in society and why? The third part of the course considers how institutions shape social inequality and asks: How can policies ‘level the playing field' to afford equal opportunities to individuals from different socio-economic backgrounds?
Bastian BETTHAEUSER
Séminaire
English
Spring 2021-2022
The final grade will consist of the following main elements: Course participation (10%), presentation (15%), a policy report (60%) and policy brief (15%). The presentation, policy report and policy brief will be on an issue related to social inequality chosen by the student. The format and requirements for each element will be discussed in our first class meeting.
Chetty, R., Hendren, N., Kline, P., & Saez, E. (2014). Where is the land of opportunity? The geography of intergenerational mobility in the United States. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 129(4), 1553-1623. Also see optional video here: https://www.yo
Frank, Robert (2018) Why is income inequality growing?', in Grusky, D. (2018) Social Stratification. Routledge. Also see optional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKWlIlIoAl0&list=PLZapTuSHtu-CeejcJGLVBLqNT-ipS0Idh&index=6
Kalleberg, A. and S. P. Vallas (2018) Probing precarious work: Theory, research, and politics', in Kalleberg, A. and S. P. Vallas (2018) Precarious Work: Causes, characteristics, and consequences, pp: 1-32
Schneider, D., & Harknett, K. (2019). Consequences of routine work-schedule instability for worker health and well-being. American Sociological Review, 84(1), 82-114.