KSOD 2315 - Sociology of inequalities

Social inequalities form a core object of sociological research. Starting from classical concepts and theories, this course highlights the multi-dimensional nature of inequalities, spanning from macro- to micro-level research. Lectures draw on empirical works, aiming at making students familiar with both theories and existing evidence on major areas and dimensions of inequalities

List of lectures

Class 1. 11 Sept 2026. Introduction. Class inequalities and social mobility (Barone)

Background reading

Breen, Richard 2005, “Foundations of Neo-Weberian Class Analysis” in Erik O. Wright (ed.), Approaches to class analysis, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 31–50.

Optional reading

Savage, Mike, Fiona Devine, Niall Cunningham, Mark Taylor, Yaojun Li, Johs Hjellbrekke, Brigitte Le Roux, Sam Friedman, and Andrew Miles. 2013. “A New Model of Social Class? Findings from the BBC’s Great British Class Survey Experiment.” Sociology 47(2):219–250.

Class 2. 18 Sept. Welfare states and poverty (Barone)

Reading for class presentation

Fasang, Anette Eva, Stefan Bastholm Andrade, Selçuk Bedük, Zafer Buyukkececi, and Aleksi Karhula (2024) Lives in welfare states: Life courses, earnings accumulation, and relative living standards in five European countries. American Journal of Sociology 130, no. 2: 384-438.

Background reading

Esping-Andersen, Gøsta. 2014. “Three Worlds of Welfare Capitalism”, in Pierson C., Castle D. and Naumann F. (eds.), The Welfare State Reader, 3rd Edition, Cambridge: Polity Press, 136-150.

Optional reading

Ferragina, Emanuele, and Martin Seeleib-Kaiser. 2011. “Welfare Regime Debate: Past, Present, Futures?” Policy and Politics, 39(4): 583-611.

Class 3. 25 Sept. Income and wealth inequality (Chancel)

Reading for class presentation

Saez, E., & Zucman, G. (2020). “The Rise of Income and Wealth Inequality in America: Evidence from Distributional Macroeconomic Accounts.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 34(4): 3-26.

Optional reading

Chancel, L., & Piketty, T. (2021). Global income inequality, 1820–2020: the persistence and mutation of extreme inequality. Journal of the European Economic Association, 19(6), 3025-3062.

Mankiw, N. Gregory. 2013. “Defending the One Percent,” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 27(3): 21-34

Class 4. 2 Oct. Discrimination and inequality (Safi)

Reading for class presentation

Pedulla, David S., et al. (2026) Racial discrimination in context: The role of organizational policies and practices in hiring discrimination. American Journal of Sociology 131.4 (2026): 918-971.

Background reading

Pager, D., & Shepherd, H. (2008). The sociology of discrimination: Racial discrimination in employment, housing, credit, and consumer markets. Annual Review of Sociology, 34, 181-209.

Optional reading

Diana Roxana Galos (2024) Social media and hiring: a survey experiment on discrimination based on online social class cues, European Sociological Review, Volume 40, Issue 1, Pages 116–128.

Class 5. 9 Oct. Racial discrimination (Safi)

Reading for class presentation

Stasio, Valentina Di, Bram Lancee, Susanne Veit, et al. (2021) Muslim by default or religious discrimination? Results from a cross-national field experiment on hiring discrimination. Journal of ethnic and migration studies. vol.47 no 6. p. 1305-1326.

Background reading

Small, Mario L., and Devah Pager (2020) Sociological Perspectives on Racial Discrimination. Journal of Economic Perspectives 34(2):49–67.

Optional reading

Quillian, L., & Midtbøen, A. H. (2021). Comparative perspectives on racial discrimination in hiring: The rise of field experiments. Annual Review of Sociology, 47(1), 391-415.

Class 6. 16 Oct. Gender inequality (Safi)

Reading for class presentation

Thompson, E. Marissa, Tobias Dalberg, Elizabeth E. Bruch. 2024. “Gender Segregation and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Course-Taking” Sociological Science 11: 1017- 1045.

Background reading

Ridgeway, Cecilia L. 2009. “Framed before We Know It: How Gender Shapes Social Relations.” Gender & Society 23(2):145–60.

Optional reading

Gunn Elisabeth Birkelund, Bram Lancee, Edvard Nergård Larsen, Javier G Polavieja, Jonas Radl, Ruta Yemane (2022) Gender Discrimination in Hiring: Evidence from a Cross-National Harmonized Field Experiment, European Sociological Review, Volume 38, Issue 3, Pages 337–354

Class 7. 23 Oct. Research questions and hypotheses workshop (Panico)

No class presentation this week – please come to class with examples of research questions and hypotheses you are considering for your coursework

Reading for discussion

Khan, S. and Sharp, G. (2024) Research Methods (especially the section: Designing a research project). In Khan, Sharkey and Sharp (2024) A Sociology Experiment. Third Edition. https://sociologyexperiment.com/chapters/

Class 8. 6 Nov. Environmental inequalities (Chancel)

Reading for class presentation

Diffenbaugh, N. S., & Burke, M. (2019). Global warming has increased global economic inequality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(20), 9808-9813.

Optional reading

Chancel, L., Bothe, P., Voituriez, T. 2023. “Climate Inequality Report 2023” World Inequality Lab Study

Condon, M. (2023). “Damage Functions: or Why I Am Mad at Economists”, Law and Political Economy Project

Class 9. 13 Nov. Inequalities in education (Panico)

Reading for class presentation

Calarco, J. M. (2014). Coached for the classroom: Parents’ cultural transmission and children’s reproduction of educational inequalities. American Sociological Review, 79(5), 1015-1037.

Background reading

Reardon, Sean F. (2011) The Widening Academic Achievement Gap Between the Rich and the Poor: New Evidence and Possible Explanations. In Murnane and Duncan (eds) Whither Opportunities? Rising Inequality and the Uncertain Life Chances of Low-Income Children. New York: Russell Sage Foundation, 91-115.

Optional reading

Lareau, Annette (2002) Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black Families and White Families. American Sociological Review 67(5): 747-776.

Class 10. 20 Nov. Inequalities in health and well-being (Panico)

Reading for class presentation

Becares, Laia, Richard J. Shaw, Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Patricia Irizar, Sarah Amele, Dharmi Kapadia, James Nazroo, and Harry Taylor (2022) Racism as the fundamental cause of ethnic inequities in COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy: A theoretical framework and empirical exploration using the UK Household Longitudinal Study. SSM-population Health 19: 101150.

Background reading

Bartley, Mel, and Michelle Kelly-Irving. 2024. “What is health inequalities?” In Health Inequality: An Introduction to Concepts, Theories and Methods, 3rd Edition. Polity.

Note: for those interested in health inequalities, many other chapters in this book can be helpful.

Optional reading

King, Lawrence, Gábor Scheiring, and Elias Nosrati. (2022) Deaths of despair in comparative perspective. Annual Review of Sociology 48.1 (2022): 299-317.

Class 11. 27 Nov. Employment and labour market inequalities (Labussière)

Reading for class presentation

Mouw, Ted, Arne L. Kalleberg, & Michael A. Schultz (2024). “Stepping-Stone” versus “Dead-End” Jobs: Occupational Structure, Work

Experience, and Mobility Out of Low-Wage Jobs. American Sociological Review, 89(2), 298–345.

Background reading

Weeden, Kim A. (2002). Why Do Some Occupations Pay More than Others? Social Closure and Earnings Inequality in the United States. American Journal of Sociology, 108(1), 55–101.

Stainback, Kevin, Donald Tomaskovic-Devey & Sheryl Skaggs (2010). Organizational Approaches to Inequality: Inertia, Relative Power, and Environments. Annual Review of Sociology, 36(1), 225–247.

Class 12. 4 Dec. Digital inequalities (Labussière)

Reading for class presentation

Fernandez, Roberto M. (2001). Skill‐Biased Technological Change and Wage Inequality: Evidence from a Plant Retooling. American Journal of Sociology, 107(2), 273–320.

Background reading

Robinson, Laura, Shelia R. Cotten, Hiroshi Ono, Anabel Quan-Haase, Gustavo Mesch, Wenhong Chen, Jeremy Schulz, Timothy M. Hale & Michael J. Stern (2015). Digital inequalities and why they matter. Information, Communication & Society, 18(5), 569–582.

Orlikowski, Wanda J. (1992). The Duality of Technology: Rethinking the Concept of Technology in Organizations. Organization Science, 3(3), 398–427.

Students’ evaluation is based on: (1) group oral presentation (30% of final grade); a paper submitted a week after the last class (60% of the final grade), consisting of a 1000 words document detailing a research question and hypotheses you would like to explore, given the materials studied in this course. The paper will document the key theories and concepts, a gap you have identified, a research question that answers that gap, and hypotheses to test. 10% of the final grade is class participation, especially during the class discussions

Each session is organized in three sections: a lecture (about an hour/an hour and 15 minutes), oral presentations from a small group of students (about 15 minutes) and a class discussion led by the student presenters (about 30 minutes).

The oral presentation is a discussion of an assigned empirical research paper (about three students per group assigned at the start of term; presentations focus on the paper’s theory, methods, and main results).