Sociology of Wealth
When inheritances shrink inequality, and when they widen it: A six-country look at the tipping point
A six-country study pinpoints where inheritances stop narrowing wealth gaps and start widening them, then compares those thresholds to each nation's inheritance tax exemptions.
Why people think bankers are greedier than students (and why they may be wrong)
A large online experiment pitted finance professionals against students in a game where one person could take money from 16 victims. Professionals did not rob more, despite widespread beliefs that they would.
Does a rising tide lift all boats? Only with the right institutions, study finds
A study of 43 countries finds that GDP growth tends to widen inequality, but stronger job protections and equal access to higher education for women can reverse that effect.
Class isn’t dead: Your job title still predicts your wealth in Europe, a five-country study finds
A five-country European study finds that broad occupational classes still track closely with wealth and income, though the link is stronger for paychecks than for accumulated assets.
Childhood obesity and the American Dream: New research links early weight to lower lifetime mobility
A new study links childhood obesity to sharply lower adult income mobility, using genetic data to separate the effects of weight from family background and neighborhood.
New study finds private financial firms disproportionately promote upper-class white men
New research on 806 Wall Street executives finds that hedge funds and private equity firms, often built as informal partnerships, are markedly whiter, more male, and more Ivy League than traditional banks.
Why people at the bottom of the ladder speed up their speech to match the boss
A new study finds that employees in low-power positions speed up their speech to match fast-talking partners, while those higher up stay consistent regardless of tempo.
California’s $20 fast food wage pushed restaurant prices up 3.4% across the state, new analysis finds
A new analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics data finds that California's $20 fast food minimum wage pushed restaurant prices up 3.3 to 3.6 percent, with implied fast food price hikes of roughly 5 percent.
The psychology of “manifesting”: Why believers feel more successful but often aren’t
A new scale measuring belief in "manifestation" finds that about a third of Americans endorse it. Believers feel more successful and optimistic, but show no higher income or education, and take more financial risks.
What 120 studies reveal about financial literacy as a lever for economic inclusion
A systematic review of 120 studies maps what financial literacy programs teach, who they reach, what effects participants report, and where implementation breaks down across diverse global contexts.