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.
Host Steven Durlauf speaks with David Lay Williams on how 2,500 years of political thought—from Plato to Marx—shaped our understanding of economic inequality.
Host Steven Durlauf speaks with Alberto Bisin and Jean-Philippe Bouchaud on how insights from physics, math, and history transform the study of wealth inequality.
College athletics is in flux as NIL deals redefine the athlete experience. This live panel, moderated by Damon Jones, features Bomani Jones, Ilyana Kuziemko, Matthew Notowidigdo, and Kenneth Shropshire, exploring the broader context of paying college athletes.
Harvard’s Christopher Muller traces the roots of mass incarceration in labor demand, while Duke’s Hedy Lee explores its toll on families, from mental health to financial strain.
Economist Bhash Mazumder shares insights on intergenerational mobility with host Steven Durlauf, exploring income mobility, flawed estimates, health metrics, and the impacts of redlining and urban renewal on mobility in the US.
Inequality is often viewed through macro-level forces. Today, we shift focus to smaller-scale factors: Steven Durlauf and Ariel Kalil discuss family roles in inequality, while Mesmin Destin explores identity-based motivation and interventions like peer mentorship.
Neighborhoods and schools impact inequality and mobility through factors like socioeconomic status, segregation, and resources. The episode's guests discuss how these environments shape opportunities and outcomes, with a focus on neighborhood effects.
Steven Durlauf speaks with Janet Gornick, director of the Stone Center at CUNY and an expert on measuring socio-economic inequality. They discuss her work with LIS, gender inequality, family structure, and the future of interdisciplinary social science.
Steven talks with Miles Corak to discuss cross-country comparisons of inequality and intergenerational mobility. They discuss the Great Gatsby Curve, the mechanisms behind the intergenerational persistence of socioeconomic status, and related innovations in research.
Melissa Kearney discusses her new book with an expert panel. They explore how modern trends in family structure perpetuate inequality and erode social mobility. They also dive into the evidence of the effects of family structure on childhood outcomes.
