The Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity & Inequality doesn't stop at lectures. Day two took us to Vancouver's Improv Centre. Every one of our summer schools includes a social, because forging lasting connections happens inside and outside of the conference room.

Higher-income Americans' policy views tend to win out more often, per political science research. But does that mean rising inequality = less democracy? Sociologist Lane Kenworthy isn't so sure. He breaks it down on this week's Inequality Podcast. Listen→ bit.ly/3UsciWE

The Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity and Inequality, cohosted with @stone-centre-ubc.bsky.social, is officially underway! 🎉 Participants from Europe to South America are gathering in Vancouver for three days of lectures, cross-institutional connections, and new research directions.

Though meritocracy is a distinctively modern concept, its roots date back to antiquity. @guidoalfani.bsky.social traces the uneven development of the concept, its attempted implementation in early modern republics, and its eventual degeneration into oligarchy. Read the essay → bit.ly/4fGFT75

@durlauf.bsky.social wants to reclaim meritocracy for liberals. Why? Because many policies that expand opportunity can make the economy more efficient, while also helping people fulfill their potential. Hear more of his thoughts on the @econfip.bsky.social → bit.ly/3TpQevx

Can meritocracy survive its harshest critics? David Miller (@nuffieldcollege.bsky.social) defines a 3-pronged conception of meritocracy and systematically defends it from both empirical and normative concerns. Read the essay → bit.ly/4vVuzZy

Why are Americans so skeptical that social policies can work? @davebrady72.bsky.social thinks it's less about a policy's measurable success, and more about an exaggerated myth we can't stop telling ourselves. Listen here for more on the politics of poverty → bit.ly/4vPYJNS

Economic theory predicts strong responses to financial incentives; observed elasticities are often much smaller. Young argues this is evidence that economic action is mediated by social structure — networks, identities, and norms raise the cost of acting on incentives. Read now→ bit.ly/4pDsdgn

What explains the Baltimore Regional Housing Partnership’s remarkable success? Aliprantis & DeLuca point to the supply side: regional access expands families’ housing choice sets, breaks sorting by race and income, and delivers durable gains in neighborhood opportunity. Read now → bit.ly/4fGOmah

The core challenge of inequality research has always been measuring something unobservable. Over a two-day conference with @dondenacentre.bsky.social, scholars took that challenge on, tracing systems that produce inequality and questioning what conventional approaches may be missing.

If not meritocracy, then what? Critics of meritocracy challenge the system, but fail to offer alternatives. Instead of dismissing meritocracy as a system that masks injustice, Jahel Queralt says we should make adjustments so it works for us. Listen → bit.ly/4bnD2NM

Meritocracy promises fairness, but does it deliver in practice? Whither Meritocracy? Pt. 1 is out now. Editors @durlauf.bsky.social & James Robinson synthesize the state of knowledge on meritocracy to explore its viability as a social ideal. Explore the volume: bit.ly/3TgLkAN

If meritocracy is working as intended, people in power should be there because they earned it. But is that how the system actually works? Thomas Mulligan explains why income and power often reflect advantage and connections more than merit. Listen to the episode→ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

Meritocracy is invoked in variable and often contradictory ways. In a new essay, @durlauf.bsky.social distinguishes between retrospective and prospective conceptions of meritocracy, examining how each can produce different tradeoffs and outcomes. Read about it: bit.ly/3QKN3NU

What happens when efficiency becomes the goal of policy? Philosopher Philip Kitcher (@columbiauniversity.bsky.social) argues prioritizing productivity has crowded out ethics, contributing to an "erosion of kindness." Listen to his full conversation with @durlauf.bsky.social here → bit.ly/4a03FI1

📣One week left to apply! Don't forget to submit your application for our Vancouver Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity and Inequality hosted at @ubcvse.bsky.social. 🚨Applications close next Friday June 19th! Learn how to apply here: zurl.co/nHIo9

Why are women disproportionately converting to new Christian churches in Sub-Saharan Africa? A new paper uses evidence from Benin and cross-country data to argue conversion isn’t only spiritual—it’s linked to greater female agency, economic participation, and shifting traditions. bit.ly/4ojO6kn

@mivich.bsky.social argues that inequality is too large a problem to be solved through incremental changes alone. In her episode of The Inequality Podcast, she applies that same structural lens to the changing nature of work, examining why job responsibilities keep expanding. Listen: bit.ly/4vtapq9

That's a wrap on year three of The Inequality Workshop! Across the academic year, more than 300 attendees came together to share research, exchange ideas, and deepen our understanding of inequality across disciplines. We'll be back soon! Keep in touch in the meantime: bit.ly/4f09cBu

Unions have long been associated with higher wages & job security for their members, but does proximity to unions improve conditions for others? @tvanheuvelen.bsky.social explains the mechanisms by which they do. He shares them with @gtwodtke.bsky.social on the Inequality Podcast → bit.ly/4uny0Z4

At our recent public event on economic growth, Joel Mokyr explored what made the Industrial Revolution possible. He argues that an ethos of progress took root long before it manifested as technological innovation. Watch the full panel → zurl.co/Zba8l

Self-employment tends to run in families, but the mechanisms are unclear. @johnsearle.bsky.social & Lee find that this remains true in post-communist countries, even after 40+ years. Thus suggesting that risk attitudes informally transmitted across generations are key. Read now → bit.ly/4daNCcj

Our last Inequality Workshop of the academic year has arrived! Join us in asking: How much of your future is shaped before you are born? This Friday, Zach Ward will present his research linking families across four generations, revealing how inequality endures. Register → zurl.co/ONJSj

Do Americans accept higher rates of inequality because of our belief in the American Dream? Leslie McCall (@stone-lis.bsky.social) wasn’t convinced, so she went looking for the data. Listen to @durlauf.bsky.social & McCall discuss her pioneering research on The Inequality Podcast: bit.ly/4ndv9z2

🚨 Final Call! Deadline This Friday! 🚨 Nominations for the Stone Center Thesis and Dissertation Awards are still open, but not for long. Don’t miss your chance to give outstanding inequality research the recognition it deserves. Submit now before time runs out: bit.ly/3Oq1l5u

Last month, we brought together Joel Mokyr, James Robinson & @durlauf.bsky.social for an at-capacity discussion. From the Industrial Revolution to the divergent paths of Europe & China, the panel examined the forces behind economic growth. Interested in more events like this? Sign up bit.ly/4f09cBu

What if the population crisis isn’t too many people, but too few? Falling birth rates could reshape growth, climate, and prosperity. Join Michael Geruso ( @utaustin.bsky.social) this Friday as he explores one of the century’s biggest shifts and its impact on our future. Register → zurl.co/9y873

Incarceration. Welfare. Debt. @joesoss.bsky.social (University of Minnesota) argues that these systems function as mechanisms of extraction and discipline directed at the poor. On the latest episode of The Inequality Podcast with host @gtwodtke.bsky.social → bit.ly/4sTPURV

College degrees still pay, but returns are shrinking for low-income students. Hear Zachary Bleemer break down new research on three factors shaping student outcomes: weaker public universities, diversion into lower-return colleges, and gaps in major choice. Join us tomorrow → bit.ly/3QdahLY

This August, the Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity & Inequality will be held in Cali, Colombia 🇨🇴 Designed to train early-career researchers in state-of-the-art methods, the program is co-sponsored by Universidad Icesi and the Georgetown Americas Institute. Join us: bit.ly/4cGTb1P