Social Inequality in Comparative Perspective

Fabrizio Bernardi

Second Term Seminar – Winter 2011 Thursday 11:00-13:00 Room 4, Badia Fiesolana

Please register with [email protected]

The aim of this course is to cover recent debates, competing theories and empirical on social inequality. The analytical starting point is that to study social inequality means examining the interplay between labour , family and . “Classic” research has traditionally focused on inequality of educational opportunities and . It has thus studied how social background (class of origin) affects educational achievement and the individual social position (class of destination). The central question in this respect is whether contemporary are becoming more or less meritocratic, ie whether the influence of the family of origin on individual (, occupational achievement) is less strong than in the past. While the driving question of classic social stratification is still relevant, more recent research has enriched the traditional framework of analysis by considering family dynamics, female employment, immigration and changes in the occupational classes. The general question, then, becomes whether the advent of the post-industrial has also altered the bases of social inequality. Are new patterns of social inequality emerging in post-industrial, service societies? If yes, how can we characterize and explain them? The seminar will, thus, address both the classic and more recent questions driving the research on social inequality. A special emphasis will be put on the explicative mechanisms underling the observed pattern of inequality.

The seminar depends on everyone having reflected on the suggested readings for each session. To prepare for the discussions, participants are asked to prepare brief questions on the readings in advance of each session and send them to me. In addition, each participant will be required to present the readings of one of the sessions and will be allowed 20 minutes for her/his presentation. Another member of the seminar will be appointed as discussant. His/her task will be that opening the critical debate concerning the readings and the report. Occasionally we could also have a debate with two presenters defending an opposing view in a current debate in sociological research on social inequality. In any case, the concrete aim of each session is to identify some testable hypothesis and/or a list of research questions that could be addressed with an empirical analysis. Regular attendance and active contribution to the discussions are crucial for the crediting of the seminar.

Participants are encouraged to write an empirically based term paper addressing one of the hypothesis or research questions that will come up during the discussion in each seminar session. If you want to write a term paper for this seminar, please send a copy to the seminar's professor and to [email protected] by 31 May 2011.

Preliminary Syllabus

13/1/2011 Week 1

Introduction. Why studying social inequality? How to study it?

Outline of course and scheduling of assignments; suggestions for additional topics or readings

Recommended readings

Kenworthy, L. (2008) Job with equality, Oxford University Press, Chap. 2: Why should we care about inequality?

Goldthorpe, J. (2009), “Analysing Social Inequality: A Critique of Two Recent Contributions from Economics and Epidemiology”, European Sociological Review, DOI:10.1093/esr/jcp046

Breen, R. (2004a). “Foundations of Neo-Weberian Class Analysis”. En E. O. Wright (Ed.), Approaches to Class Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Additional readings

Hout, M. (2008) “How Class Works in Popular Conception: Most Americans Identify with the Class Their , Occupation, and Education Implies for Them” in Annette Lareau and Dalton Conley (eds), : How Does It Work? New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Grusky, D. and Weeden, K. (2008) “Are There Social Classes? An Empirical Test of the Sociologist’s Favorite Concept.” in Annette Lareau and Dalton Conley (eds), Social Class: How Does It Work? New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Wilkinson, R. and Pickett, K. (2010) The Spirit Level. Why Equality is Better for Every one, Penguin Book, Part I p.3-45.

20/1/2011 Week 2

Inequality in educational opportunities by social background I : Persistent inequality? How to explain it?

Erikson, R. and Jonsson, J. (1996) Explaining Class Inequality in Education: the Swedish Test Case, in Erikson, R. and Jonsson (eds) Can Education be Equalized? The Swedish Case in Comparative Perspective, Boulder: Westview. pp. 1-57

Raftery, A and Hout, M. (1993) Maximally Maintained Inequality: Expansion, Reform, and Opportunity in Irish Education.” of Education 66: 41-62.

Esping-Andersen (2004), Untying the Gordian Knot of Social Inheritance, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, 12, 115-138

Additional readings

Rational choice explanations Breen, Richard, and John H. Goldthorpe. 1997. “Explaining Educational Differentials: Towards a Formal Rational Action Theory.” Rationality and Society 9: 275-305.

Becker, R. 2003 ‘Educational expansion and persistent inequalities of education: utilizing subjective expected utility theory to explain increasing participation rates in upper secondary school in the Federal Republic of Germany’ European Sociological Review, 19: 1-24.

Maximally maintained inequality Lucas, S. (2001), Effectively maintained inequality: Education Transition, Track Mobility, and Social Background Effect, American journal of Sociology, 6, 1642-1690.

Hout, M. (2004), Maximally Maintained Inequality Revisited: Irish Educational Mobility in Comparative Perspective, working paper SRC Berkely.

Persistent inequalities? Shavit, Y. and Blossfeld, H-P. (1993) Persistent Inequalities?, R. Breen and J. Jonsson, Inequality of opportunity in comparative perspective. Annual Review of Sociology, 31: 223-44

27/1/2011 Week 3

Inequality in educational opportunities by social background II: the primary/secondary effects debite. Other household and life-course effects.

Erikson, R, Goldthorpe, J., Jackson, M., Yaish,M. and Cox,D. (2005). “On class differentials in educational attainment.” PNAS 102: 9730-9733.

Bernardi, F. and Cebolla, H. (2010), Compensation and imperfect information : Do previous school results matter differently depending on students’ social background?, Unpublished manuscript.

Coleman, J. 1988. “Social capital in the creation of human capital”, American Journal of Sociology, 95: 95-120.

Additional readings

Erikson, Robert and Rudolphi, F. (2010), Change in Social Selection to Upper Secondary School— Primary and Secondary Effects in Sweden, ESR, 3, 291-305.

Bourdieu, R. 1983. ‘The forms of Capital’. Pp. 241-58 in J. G. Richardson, Handbook of Theory and Research in the . Westport: Greenwood.

Kalmijn, M. and Kraaykamp, G. 2005 ‘Late or later? A Sibling Analysis of the Effect of Maternal Age on Children’s Schooling’ Social Science Research, 34: 634-50.

Bedard, K. and Dhuey, E. 2006 ‘The Persistence of Early Childhood Maturity: International Evidence of Long-Run Age Effects’, The Quarterly Journal of Economics 4: 1437-72.

Conley, D. and R. Glauber. 2008. “All in the family? Family composition, resources, and sibling similarity in .” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility. 26:297-306. http://homepages.nyu.edu/~dc66/all_in_the_family_1.pdf

3/2/2011 Week 4

Intelligence and the reproduction of inequality

Herrnstein, R. and Murray, C. (1994), The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, New York: The Free Press, Chapter 5.

Ficher, C. et al. (1996) Inequality by Design: Cracking the Bell Curve Myth, Princeton Princeton University Press, pp. 217-224 and 204-216.

Bowles, S. and Gintis H. (2002) “The Inheritance of Inequality”, Journal of Economic Perspectives, V. 16, N3, 3-30.

Additional readings

Koreman, S. and Winship, C. A reanalysis of The Bell Curve: Intelligence, Family Background and Schooling, in Arrow, K., Bowles, S. and Durlauf, S. (2000) (eds), and , Pricenton University Press.

Feldman, M., Otto, S. and Christiansen , F. (2000), Genes, Culture, and Inequality, in Arrow, K., Bowles, S. and Durlauf, S. (2000) (eds), Meritocracy and Economic Inequality, Pricenton University Press.

Hauser, R. (2002), Meritocracy, Cognitive Ability, and the Sources of Occupational Success http://www.ssc.wisc.edu/~hauser/merit_01_081502_complete.pdf

10/2/2011 Week 5

Meritocracy, social inequality and

Goldthorpe, J. (1996), “Problems of Meritocracy” In Erikson, R. and Jonsson, J. (eds) 1996 Can Education be Equalized? The Swedish Case in Comparative Perspective, Boulder: Westview.

Marshall, G, Swift A. and Roberts, S. (1997), Against the Odds? Social Class and Social Justice in Industrial Societies, Oxford University Press, Chapter 7.

Kangas, O. (2000) Distributive Justice and : Some Reflections on Rawls and Income , Social Policy & Administration, V 34, n 5, 510-528.

Additional readings

Arrow, K., Bowles, S. and Durlauf, S. (2000), Meritocracy and Economic Inequality, Pricenton University Press.

Swift, A. (2004), Would Perfect Mobility be Perfect? European Sociological Review, V. 20, 1-11.

Young, M. (2001), "Down with meritocracy: The man who coined the word four decades ago wishes Tony Blair would stop using it", , http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2001/jun/29/comment

And of course, the origin of everything: Young, M. (1958), “The rise of the Meritocracy”, Thames and Hudson.

17/2/2011 Week 6

Educational returns in the labour market

Jackson, M. Goldthorpe, J. and Mills, C. (2005) Education, Employers and Class Mobility, Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, V23, Pages 3-33.

Müller, W. (2005). Education and Youth Integration into European Labour Markets. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, 46, 461-485.

Breen, R. and Goldthorpe, J. (1999), Class, Mobility and Merit. The Experience of Two British Birth Cohorts, European Sociological Review, 17 (2) 81-102

Additional readings

Torche, F. (2010). Is a college degree still the great equalizer? Intergenerational mobility across levels of schooling , working paper Coloquios en Políticas Públicas Educativas, Centro de Políticas Comparadas.

Bernardi, F. (2003). Returns to Educational Performance at Entry into the Italian Labour Market. European Sociological Review, 19, 25-40.

Hansen, M. N. (2001). Education and Economic Rewards. Variations by Social-Class Origin and Income Measures. European Sociological Review, 17, 209-231.

24/2/2011 Week 7

Social mobility

Björklund, A. and Markus J. (2009) Integenerational income mobility and the role of family background, Oxford Handbook of Economic Inequality, Oxford University Press.

Erikson, R. and Goldthorpe, J. (2002), Intergenerational Inequality: A Sociological Perspective, Journal of Economic Perspectives—Volume 16, Number 3 Pages 31–44

Goldthorpe, J. (2000) “Outline of a theory of social mobility”, chapter 11, In “On Sociology”, Oxford University Press (1st ed).

Additional readings

Breen, R. (2004), Social Mobility in Europe, Oxford University Press, Chapter 1.

Andrew, D. and Leigh, A. (2009), More Inequality, Less Mobility, Applied Economics Letters, 16, 1489-1492.

OECD (2010) Economic Policy Reforms going for growth, Chapter 5. A Family Affair: Intergenerational Social Mobility across OECD Countries.

Esping-Andersen, G. and Wagner, S. (2010) Asymmetries in the Opportunity Structure. Intergenerational Mobility Trends in Scandinavia and Continental Europe, unpublished manuscript.

Björklund, A. and Markus J. (2000), Intergenerational mobility of socio-economic status in comparative perspective, Nordic Journal of Political Economy, V. 26, 3-32.

3/3/2011 Week 8

Ethnic inequality in education and in the labour market

Kao, G. and Thompson, J. (2003), Racial and Ethnic Stratification in educational Achievement and Attainment, Annual Review of Sociology, 29, 417-442.

Heath, A. & Brinbaum, Y. (2007) Explaining ethnic inequalities in educational attainment. Ethnicities 7(3), 291-304.

Heath, A F and S Y Cheung (eds) (2007) Unequal Chances: Ethnic Minorities in Western Labour Markets. Proceedings of the British Academy 137. Oxford: Oxford University Press for the British Academy.

Additional readings

Brinbaum, Y. & Cebolla-Boado, H. (2007) The school careers of ethnic minority youth in france: Success or disillusion? Ethnicities, 7(3), 445-474.

Rothon, C. (2007) Can achievement differentials be explained by social class alone? An examination of minority ethnic educational performance in england and wales at the end of compulsory schooling. Ethnicities, 7(3), 306-322.

Reyneri et al. (2011). Special Issue of International Migration on Ethnic Penalties in the labour markets in Italy, Spain, Germany and Denmark. Forthcoming.

Kogan, Irena. 2006. “Labor Markets and Economic Incorporation among Recent Immigrants in Europe”, Social Forces 85(2):697-721.

10/3/2011 Week 9

Poverty and

Vandecasteele, L. (2010), Life Course Risks or Cumulative Disadvantage? The Structuring Effect of Social Stratification Determinants and Life Course Events on Transitions in Europe, European Sociological Review Advance Access: doi:10.1093/esr/jcq005

Whelan, C. and Maître, B. (2009), Comparing Poverty Indicators in an Enlarged European Union, European Sociological Review Advance Access doi:10.1093/esr/jcp047

Jenkins, S. and Micklewright, J. (2007), New Directions in the Analysis of Inequality and Poverty, in Jenkins, S. and Micklewright (eds), Inequality and Poverty re-examined, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Additional readings

Nolan, B., Whelan, C. and Maître, B 2009. Low Pay, In-Work Poverty and Economic Vulnerability: A Comparative Analysis Using EU-SILC, UCD GEARY INSTITUTE Discussion paper. http://www.ucd.ie/geary/static/publications/workingpapers/gearywp201028.pdf

Brandolini, A. (2007), Measurement of in supranational entities: the case of the European Union, in Jenkins, S. and Micklewright (eds), Inequality and Poverty re-examined, Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Gregg, P. and Wadsworth, J. 2001 ‘Everything you ever wanted to know about worklessness and polarization at the household level but were afraid to ask’. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 63

17/3/2011 Week 10

Post-industrial society, change in the occupational class structure and its consequences for social inequality

Esping-Andersen (1999), Social Bases of Post-industrial Economies, Chapter 6: The Structural Bases of Post-industrial employment

Oesch, D. and Rodriguez Menes, J. (2011), "Upgrading or polarization? Occupational change in Britain, Germany, Spain and Switzerland, 1990-2008", Socio-Economic Review 9 (3) (forthcoming).

Bernardi, F. and Garrido, L. (2008), “Is there a new post-industrial proletariat? Post-industrial employment growth and social inequality in Spain”, European Sociological Review, 24 (3), 299- 313.

Additional readings

Mouw, T. and Kallenberg, A. (2009), Occupations and the structure of wage inequalities in USA 1980s-1990s, American Sociological Review, 75, 3, 402-431.

Esping-Andersen (1993), Changing classes, Sage (Cap. 1)

Wright, E.O. and Dwyer, R. (2003), The Patterns of Job Expansions in the USA: A Comparison of the 1960s and 1990s, Socio-Economic Review, 1, 289-325.

24/3/2011 Week11

Female employment and household inequalities

Esping-Andersen, G. 2009. The Incomplete revolution, Chapter 1 and 2, p. 17-74.

Hakim, C. 1996. Key Issues in Women’s Work: Female Heterogeneity and the Polarisation of Women's Employment, London: Athlone/Continuum Press. Chapter 6

Anderson, M, Bechhofer, F and Gershuny, J. 1994. The Social and Political Economy of the Household , Chapter 5:

Additional readings

Evertsson, M. and Nermo, M. 2004 ‘Dependence within families and the division of labor’. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 66: 1272-86

Arulampalam, W., Booth, A. and Bryan, M. 2004 ‘Is there a over Europe? Exploring the pay gap across the wage distribution’. IZA Working Paper, 1373 (October)

Stier, H. et.al. 2001 ‘Welfare regimes, family supportive policies and women’s employment along the life course’. American J. of Sociology, 106, 6: 1731-60