Sociology of inequalities

 

Master of sociology, M1, Fall 2023

 

Olivier Godechot, Lidia Panico and Mirna Safi (CRIS)

 

Rationale of the course

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. 

The course is divided into three modules. In the first one (Olivier Godechot), the focus will be placed on general theories of inequality and on a description of global inequalities at the macro level. In the second module (Lidia Panico), particular attention is paid to social class and the role of education as both inequality-generating and equalizing mechanisms. In the third module (Mirna Safi), gender and ethnic dimensions are explored, leading to a discussion of the intersectionality of social inequalities. 

 

Class organization

Each session is organized in threefold: lecture, students’ oral presentation and discussion 

The oral presentation should be a discussion of a research paper (three students, focusing on theory, methods, and sociopolitical implications of the paper). 15 min

Evaluation

Students’ evaluation is based on an oral presentation  (25% of final grade) and a final exam (75% of final grade, one hour, consisting of MCQ and open questions during the final session).

 

Class schedule:Friday, 17:00-19:00

 

List of lectures

 

Class 1. September 15. Introduction. Economic inequalities: Normatives approaches,  Empirical measures, and global development  (Godechot)

Background reading

Chancel, L., Piketty, T., Saez, E., Zucman, G. et al.  2021. Chapter 2 “Global inequality from 1820 to now: the persistence and mutation of extreme inequality”, in World Inequality Report 2022, p. 52-71.

 

Suggested reading

Godechot, Olivier. 2017. “Inequality: A Piketty et al. Moment in the Social Sciences”, economic sociology_the european electronic newsletter, 19(1): 1-7

https://econsoc.mpifg.de/13366/econ_soc_19-1.pdf

Godechot, Olivier. 2019. “The Great Reaper: The Unique Equalizer? - Walter Scheidel, The Great Leveler. Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century (Princeton and Oxford, Princeton University Press, 2017)”, European Journal of Sociology, 60 (3): 510-516.

 

Reading for discussion

Pomeranz, Kenneth. 2000. Chapter 6.” Abolishing the land constraint”, in  The great divergence: China, Europe, and the making of the modern world economy. Princeton University Press, p. 264-297.

Class 2. September 22. Wealth inequalities (Godechot)

Background reading

Pfeffer, Fabian T., and Nora Waitkus. 2021. “The wealth inequality of nations.” American Sociological Review 86(4): 567-602.

 

Suggested reading

Godechot, Olivier. 2015. “Resurgence of Capital or rise of the Working Rich? On Piketty’s Capital in the 21st century”, Crooked Timber

https://crookedtimber.org/2015/12/16/resurgence-of-capital-or-rise-of-the-working-rich-on-pikettys-capital-in-the-21st-century/

Godechot, Olivier. 2019. “Review Symposium: On Brooke Harrington’s Capital without Borders: Wealth Managers and the One Percent, Cambridge MA, Harvard University Press, 2016. What Agency for Tax Evasion?”, Socio-Economic Review, n°mwy050.

 

Reading for discussion

Bessière, Céline. 2022. “Reversed accounting: Legal professionals, families and the gender wealth gap in France.” Socio-Economic Review 20(1): 233-256.

Class 3. September 29. Wage inequalities (Godechot)

Background reading

Avent-Holt, Dustin, and Donald Tomaskovic-Devey. 2014. “A relational theory of earnings inequality.” American Behavioral Scientist 58(3): 379-399.

 

Suggested reading

Godechot, Olivier. 2008. “‘Hold-up’ in finance: The conditions of possibility for high bonuses in the financial industry.” Revue française de sociologie 49(5): 95-123.

 

Reading for discussion

Wilmers, Nathan. 2018. “Wage stagnation and buyer power: How buyer-supplier relations affect US workers’ wages, 1978 to 2014.” American Sociological Review 83(2): 213-242.

Class 4. October 6. Employment and labor market inequalities (Godechot)

Background reading

Barbieri, Paolo. 2009. “Flexible Employment and Inequality in Europe”, European Sociological Review, 25(6): 621-628.

 

Suggested reading

Ranci, Costanzo, Parma Andrea, Laura Bernardi, and Jason Beckfield. 2017. The rise of economic insecurity in the EU, Lives Working Paper n°17.

 https://www.lives-nccr.ch/sites/default/files/pdf/publication/lives_wp_62_ranci_et_al_2017.pdf

 

Reading for discussion

Grotti, Raffaele and Stefani Scherer. 2014. “Accumulation of employment instability among partners – evidence from six EU countries”, European Sociological Review, 30(5): 627-639.

Class 5. October 13. Welfare Regimes: Esping-Andersen and Beyond (Panico)

Background reading

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

 

Suggested reading

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

 

Reading for discussion

Uccheddu, D., Gauthier, A. H., Steverink, N., & Emery, T. (2019). Gender and socioeconomic inequalities in health at older ages across different European welfare clusters: Evidence from SHARE data, 2004–2015. European Sociological Review, 35(3), 346-362.

Class 6. October 20. Social stratification and class analysis (Panico)

Background reading

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

 

Suggested reading

Savage M., Devine F., Cunningham N., Taylor M., Li Y., Hjellbrekke J., Le Roux B., Friedman S., Miles A., 2013, A New Model of Social Class? Findings from the BBC’s Great British Class Survey Experiment, Sociology, 47(2):219–250. 

 

Reading for discussion

Weeden K., Grusky D., 2005, The Case for a New Class Map, American Journal of Sociology, vol. 111(1):141-212;

 

Class 7. October 27. Class inequalities in education (Panico)

Background reading

Erikson R., Jonsson J., 1996, Explaining class inequality in education, in R. Erikson, J.Jonsson (eds.), Can education be equalized ?, Boulder, Westview Press. 

 

Suggested reading

Triventi M., 2013, Stratification in Higher Education and Its Relationship with Social Inequality: A Comparative Study of 11 European Countries, European Sociological Review, vol. 29(3): 489–502

 

Reading for discussion

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

 

Class 8. November 10. Social inequalities, health and well-being (Panico)

Background reading

Deaton, A. (2011) What Does the Empirical Evidence Tell Us About the Injustice of Health Inequalities?https://ssrn.com/abstract=1746951 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1746951 

 

Suggested reading

Wilkinson, R.G. and Pickett, K.E. (2009) Income Inequality and Social Dysfunction. Annual Review of Sociology 35: pp. 493-511.

 

Reading for discussion

Aburto, J. M., Tilstra, A. M., Floridi, G., & Dowd, J. B. (2022). Significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on race/ethnic differences in US mortality. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(35), e2205813119.

Class 9. November 17. Social categorization and intersectional inequality (Safi)

Background reading

Ridgeway, C. L., 2014. Why Status Matters for Inequality. American Sociological Review, 79 (1), 1–16.

 

Suggested reading

Gandalf Nicolas, Malena de La Fuente, Susan T. Fiske, 2017. “Mind the Overlap in Multiple Categorization: A Review of Crossed Categorization, Intersectionality, and Multiracial Perception, Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 20(5):621-631. doi:10.1177/1368430217708862

 

Reading for discussion

Jiménez, T. R. and A. L. Horowitz. 2013. « When White Is Just Alright: How Immigrants Redefine Achievement and Reconfigure the Ethnoracial Hierarchy ». American Sociological Review 78(5):849‑71.

 

Class 10. November 24. Discrimination and inequality: concepts and mechanisms (Safi)

Background reading

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

 

Suggested reading

Durante, F. et al. 2017. “Ambivalent Stereotypes Link to Peace, Conflict, and Inequality across 38 Nations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 114(4):669–74. 

 

Reading for discussion

Constantin, A. A., and I. Cuadrado. 2020. “‘We Believe, We Feel, We Act’: Testing the BIAS Map Predictions during Adolescence.” Journal of Applied Social Psychology 50(1):22–32. 

 

Class 11. December 01. Discrimination and inequality: measurements and empirical evidence (Safi)

Background reading

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

 

Suggested reading

Quillian, L., A. H. Midtbøen, 2021 Comparative Perspectives on Racial Discrimination in Hiring: The Rise of Field Experiments, Annual Review of Sociology 2021 47:1, 391-415.

 

Reading for discussion

Quillian, L., A. Heath, D. Pager, A. H. Midtbøen, F. Fleischmann, and O. Hexel. 2019. « Do Some Countries Discriminate More than Others? Evidence from 97 Field Experiments of Racial Discrimination in Hiring ». Sociological Science 6:467‑96.

 

Class 12. December 08. Conclusion: unmaking inequality (Safi)

Background reading

Paluck, E. L. and D. P. Green. 2008. “Prejudice Reduction: What Works? A Review and Assessment of Research and Practice.” Annual Review of Psychology 60(1):339–67. 

 

Suggested reading

Clair, Matthew, Caitlin Daniel, and Michèle Lamont. 2016. “Destigmatization and Health: Cultural Constructions and the Long-Term Reduction of Stigma.” Social Science & Medicine 165:223–32.

 

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