Social and Economic Inequality
Economic growth and development depend upon all citizens having the opportunity to maximize their potential, whether this is in terms of family formation, career path, or other long-term objective. MPRC researchers study inequalities by race / ethnicity, social class, age, gender, context, and nativity / immigration status in this and other signature themes.
MPRC research in this category is unique in its focus on key institutional contexts. Although population research usually focuses on the individual or family as the unit of analysis, from an ecological perspective, the individual and family are nested in a set of broader institutional contexts. Such institutions include prisons, the criminal justice system, health care systems, family and welfare policy, the labor market, the military, firms, schools, states, or countries as the context for population-related behaviors.
Areas of focus include :
- Individual and family inequality
- Schools and colleges
- Organizations and firms
- Criminal justice system
- Military
Examples of current projects in these areas are listed here.
Families and Inequality
Faculty Associate Philip Cohen brings sociology research to the public eye by tackling thorny issues about race, gender, family, and inequality in an online public forum.
The Displaced New Orleans Residents Study
MPRC Director Michael Rendall is working with Faculty Associate Paul Torrens, Geography, to analyze social, economic, and health outcomes for New Orleanians
Institutional Change and the Consequences of Military Service
In a Collaborative Research project funded by the National Science Foundation, Meredith Kleykamp looks at outcomes in marriage, education, employment and earnings among veterans and non-veterans over the last 40 years.
Inequality and Teenage "Drop Out" Behaviors
Melissa Kearney and colleagues examine a hypothetical "desperation" effect on economically disadvantaged students through a grant funded by the Smith Richardson Foundation
Nurturing Dads: Social Initiatives for Contemporary Fatherhood
Faculty Associate Kevin Roy co-authors book on public policy impacts on fatherhood
Job creation linked to company age, not size
Faculty Associate John Haltiwanger's paper with two Census Bureau economists challenges conventional wisdom
Exploring the culture of despair
Faculty Associate Melissa Kearney and Philip B. Levine find that inequality trumps location in predicting early childbearing out of wedlock
Race / Ethnic Differentials in the Health Implications of Grandparents Caring for Grandchildren,
Faculty Associate Feinian Chen studies health implications for grandparents caring for grandchildren
Social Trends and Social Change in the United States: Impacts on Army Manpower; Personnel and Operations
Faculty Associate David Segal oversees research into the impact of social change on the military
Macroeconomic Conditions and Marital Dissolution
Faculty Associate Melissa Kearney explores marriage markets through an R03 with North Carolina State University
Penalties for Paid and Unpaid Care Work
Faculty Associate Joan Kahn studies children's health under grant from the Russell Sage Foundation
Chen studying women's transition to later adulthood
Interdisciplinary project working with scholars from the University of North Carolina
Vivian Hoffman studies women's sanitation impact in developing countries
Environmental and social impacts for women deriving from menstrual sanitation practices
Finding Work After War: The Role of Military Experience in Civilian Hiring
Meredith Kleykamp explores job market outcomes for military veterans
India Human Development Survey Second Wave (IDHS-II)
An NICHD grant valued at about $2.5 million over five years is funding the second wave of survey research for IHDS
Shifts in Racial / Ethnic and Gender Composition in the Military
Social structure, social systems and social networks with applications to military personnel and operational issues
Reconsidering Military Identity
David and Mady Segal reconsider the traditional formulations of the military profession.
Institutional Context: Schools and Child Development
Melissa Milkie is completing an NICHD-funded project on “Social statuses, schools, and children’s problems”
How Does Parental Stress Affect Child Outcomes?
Natasha Cabrera has completed a paper on “Parenting and early predictors of Latino children’s cognitive and social development: Direct and Indirect Effects”
Intergenerational Parenting and Health
MPRC Associate Terrence Thornberry is studying Intergenerational Health using the Rochester Youth Development Study