363 Uris Hall
(607) 254–8674
inequality@cornell.edu
www.inequality.cornell.edu
Cornell University’s Center for the Study of Inequality (CSI) is devoted to understanding patterns, causes, and consequences of social and economic inequality. CSI fosters new and cutting-edge research, trains undergraduate and graduate students, encourages the exchange of ideas among inequality researchers, and disseminates research findings to a broader public. It supports research and knowledge that is evidence-based and systematic, whether it is “basic” research that develops formal models of the social processes that underpin inequality or “applied” research that assesses the intended or unintended consequences of policies that affect equality of opportunity.
CSI is based in the Sociology Department in the College of Arts and Sciences, but has more than 100 Faculty Affiliates from around campus. Faculty affiliates study a diverse range of topics, including:
- labor market processes and earnings inequality
- educational attainment and school-to-work transitions
- poverty and homelessness
- intergenerational mobility and equality of opportunity
- residential segregation, neighborhoods, and urban poverty
- racial and ethnic inequality, immigration
- changing family forms and its impact on child development
- gender inequality in schools, families, and labor markets
- social class, poverty, and inequality measurement
- health inequality
- inequality, the law, and public policy
- the politics of inequality and the inequality of politics
- economic development and inequality
- social justice and the ethics of inequality
Minor in Inequality Studies
The Inequality Studies Minor allows undergraduate students to supplement their major with a coherent program of courses about inequality, where these courses span the social sciences, humanities, and even life sciences. The Minor in Inequality Studies is open to students in all Cornell undergraduate colleges and can be completed in conjunction with almost any major; currently, the Minor enrolls undergraduates from six different undergraduate colleges. Students who meet the requirements of the Minor receive an official note on their academic records. For more information on the Minor, including course listings and enrollment information, visit the CSI website.
Symposia and Lecture Series
CSI sponsors symposia, workshops, informal discussions of faculty and students, and public lectures that discuss research on the most pressing problems and controversies in inequality scholarship. The current schedule of events is listed on the CSI website.