Inequality in the 21st Century ─ A Reader

Why are so many types of inequality suddenly increasing? Should we be worried that we’re moving into a ?second gilded age” with unprecedented levels of income inequality? In this new collection, David B. Grusky and Jasmine Hill present readings that lay bare the main changes in play, what’s driving these changes, and what might be done to reverse them. This reader delivers the latest and most influential contributions on economic inequality, social mobility, educational inequality, racial and ethnic relations, and gender inequality. Readers will encounter pieces from top scholars in a variety of fields, including Emmanuel Saez (Economist, UC Berkeley), Kathryn Edin (Sociologist, Johns Hopkins), Raj Chetty (Economist, Harvard), Florencia Torche (Sociologist, NYU), and Lucien Bebchuk (Law, Harvard).

The readings spanning these fields are expertly excerpted to get readers quickly and immediately to the heart of the scholarship. In each area, Grusky and Hill also provide a concise introduction to the key questions, allowing readers to quickly understand the main forces at work, the debates still in play, and what’s still unknown. The resulting collection is pitch-perfect introduction for undergraduates or anyone interested in learning why we’re entering a new era of inequality and what can be done to change the tide.

David B. Grusky is Barbara Kimball Browning Professor in the Humanities and Sciences, professor of sociology at Stanford University, and director of the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. His recent books include Occupy the Future, The New Gilded Age, The Great Recession, The Inequality Reader, Social Stratification, The Inequality Puzzle, The Declining Significance of Gender?, and Occupational Ghettos.

Jasmine Hill is a Ph.D. student at Stanford University with interests in African American identity, race relations, social mobility, and the sociology of the family.