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Introducing Social Capital to Stratification Economics: Career Trajectories in Higher Education

Panel Session

Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 12:30 PM - 2:15 PM

Marriott Philadelphia Downtown, Meeting Room 309

Hosted By: National Economic Association

Chair: Roberta Spalter-Roth , American Sociological Association

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Abstract

Panel members examine three processes—1) human capital, 2) social capital in the form of participating in “two worlds,” and 3) race/ethnicity and gender intersectionality in explaining academic stratification among URM faculty, who can expand the range of perspectives taught to students, if they are hired, granted tenure, and promoted. These are potential outcomes of the academic stratification process for URM faculty at historically white institutions. The emerging field of “stratification economics” started with the study of racial identity from black political economy. Other economists studied how society was divided into economic strata based on the control of wealth. In general, stratification economists seek to understand the mechanisms that are used to stratify the population.

What are missing are the effects of what sociologists refer to as “social capital.” Including social capital can strengthen the power of stratification economics. Research discussed by the panel provides measures of social capital that are relevant for URM academic economists and sociologists (such as participation in URM faculty networks) that can be analyzed along with measures of human capital (such as numbers of publications in top-tier journals). It is hypothesized that both human and social capital are statistically significant for climbing the academic ladder and that by interacting these two measures, the likelihood of obtaining tenure and promotion increases, but may vary intersectionally. It is also hypothesized that women of color are the least likely to achieve success even when they publish and participate in networks.

The research relies on measures for 1995-2006 PhDs. It finds that more sociologists than economists have social capital, and hence this measure is less likely to be significant for economists. It finds that gender is negatively related to career outcomes. Additional models also examine academic stratification further.

Panelist(s)

William A. Darity Jr.

Duke University

Topic: Academic Stratification among Black Economists and Sociologists

Marie Mora

University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley

Topic: Academic Stratification among Hispanic Economists and Sociologists

Darrick Hamilton

New School

Topic: Intersectionality among Economists and Sociologists

Kyle Moore

New School

Topic: Current Data Comparing Academic Stratification for Economists and Sociologists

Ismael Cid-Martinez

New School

Topic: Interactions Between Human and Social Capital for Economists and Sociologists

JEL Classifications

J1 - Demographic Economics
Z1 - Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology

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Introducing Social Capital to Stratification Economics: Career Trajectories in Higher Education

Saturday, Jan. 6, 2018 12:30 PM - 2:15 PM

Abstract

Panelist(s)

JEL Classifications