We bring together scholars across disciplines to discuss the causes and consequences of inequality and strategies to promote economic mobility. Listen and discover novel insights and strategies to address today’s most pressing issues in inequality.
Individual achievement is shaped by more than ability, including family resources, school quality, and other circumstances. Economist Zachary Bleemer examines the implications for inequality in higher education, including access and affirmative action.
What if societies focused less on inequality reduction and more on lifting living standards? Lane Kenworthy makes the case for this shift and discusses what American debates over so-called "socialist" politicians miss about democratic socialism.
Can meritocracy be separated from inequality? Political theorist Jahel Queralt offers a vision of meritocracy that structures fair opportunities instead of defending unequal outcomes. She joins Steven Durlauf to discuss her version of a just meritocracy.
How do class, gender, and race intersect to shape inequality? In this episode, Leslie McCall examines labor market change and public attitudes, challenging common assumptions about meritocracy, mobility, and who benefits in today’s economy.
How do legal systems extort the poor? Joe Soss examines how social welfare programs and incarceration have contributed to the financial crises of impoverished Americans. He reflects on the mobility barriers posed by the legal system's increased scrutiny of the poor.
Are today's immigrants different from those who arrived a century ago? Stanford's Ran Abramitzky and Yale's Leah Boustan challenge immigration myths, discussing upward mobility, cultural assimilation, naming patterns, and refugee success with host Steven Durlauf.
Ambitious schools aim to transform how inequality is tackled in education. Host Geoff Wodtke is joined by Sociology Professor Stephen Raudenbush to explore early childhood interventions, organizational change, and the cultural shifts needed to close achievement gaps.
Joseph Fishkin, UCLA law professor, joins Steven Durlauf to discuss how removing “bottlenecks” to opportunity and curbing economic concentration can strengthen democracy and expand the paths through which people can thrive.
It’s no secret that college is expensive, and that lower-income students often require more assistance to manage those high costs. What’s less well known is how access to credit—or the lack thereof—can enhance or reduce inequality.
Francisco Ferreira, Amartya Sen Professor of Inequality Studies at LSE, joins Steven Durlauf to discuss how inequality is inherited across generations and why mobility differs across the U.S., Europe, Latin America, and Africa.
