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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility

@ucstonecenter.bsky.social
3.7K followers 1K following 282 posts

The Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility advances interdisciplinary research on the origins and nature of contemporary inequalities. stonecenter.uchicago.edu

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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 19h
Cleaner water, fewer deaths, less environmental inequality? What does federal water funding achieve? @bhashmazumder.bsky.social w/ @davidkeiserecon.bsky.social, @davidmolitor.bsky.social, & @joseph-s-shapiro.bsky.social analyze decades of U.S. drinking water data. Watch the video: bit.ly/4hItyjP
youtube.com
Safe Drinking Water in America
YouTube video by econimate
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Had the data stopped after a generation or two, assuming fixed mobility would have painted a misleading picture. Six generations revealed the shift. The authors call for more multigenerational datasets in future research.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Before 1850, mobility was converging toward a steady state. Around 1850, that pattern broke, and instability set in until the dynasty fell, a timing that coincides with the Opium Wars and the Taiping Rebellion.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
To see this, the authors follow Liaoning families across six generations. Using Markov chain methods, they measure mobility two ways: how often children change class and how long a family's class origin continues to shape descendants' outcomes.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
The catch? People weren't just moving more. After the 1870s, upward mobility gave way to downward mobility (see Figure 4(d) below). From 1786 to 1906, the chance of moving up fell from 47% to 19%, while the chance of moving down rose from 7% to 51%.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
In the last 130 years of China’s Qing Dynasty, aggregate intergenerational mobility increased. A working paper from our postdoc and job market candidate @butaevak.bsky.social, with @durlauf.bsky.social & Alexander Shapoval, reveals a more complicated story. Keep reading🧵⬇️ bit.ly/3VAXLsE
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Sign up to get Inequality Insights straight to your inbox → uchicago.jotform.com/252784736160...
uchicago.jotform.com
Join the Stone Center Mailing List
Please click the link to complete this form.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Introducing Inequality Insights! Your curated source for the latest research, events, and ideas on economic disparities and social mobility from @ucstonecenter.bsky.social. Explore the first edition → email.harris.uchicago.edu/-temporary-s...
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Overpopulation has been the big worry for decades. So why should we care about population decline? Economist @mikegeruso.bsky.social makes the case for people: fewer people means fewer ideas, smaller markets, and less capacity to solve big problems. Listen now → bit.ly/4y5Y9Nd
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
Harris School of Public Policy @harrispolicy.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
In @apnews.com, @durlauf.bsky.social of @ucstonecenter.bsky.social explains why the record-low official poverty rate needs context. The supplemental measure accounts for food aid, health care, housing, and other costs, giving a fuller picture of what families have. har.rs/46P9DcT
har.rs
FACT FOCUS: The poverty rate is at an all-time low, but there are other factors to consider
President Donald Trump claimed that the U.S. has the “best poverty numbers in history,” meaning less poverty now than at any other time.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
When upward mobility starts to feel like a threat, the American Dream becomes a tournament. In an essay for @chicagotribune.com, Center Advisor Ariel Kalil says parents are right to worry about their children's futures, but the instinct to hoard opportunities is misguided. Read: bit.ly/3U9dD55
bit.ly
Professors: The competitiveness in parenting to give kids a leg up has reached a new level
American parents are working harder than ever to give their children a leg up.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Who gets ahead? Who gets left behind? And what role do institutions, identity & privilege play? The Inequality Workshop returns to UChicago for 2026–27 to explore these questions and more with data and evidence. Fall registration: forms.gle/5ZXg59URmDRv... Sign up for updates: bit.ly/4f09cBu
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
A well-deserved honor for Ellora Derenoncourt: the Stone Center Affiliate has been named a 2026 MacArthur Fellow for her research into the historical roots of racial disparities in wealth and economic mobility. Read the announcement: www.macfound.org/fellows/clas...
macfound.org
Ellora Derenoncourt
Uncovering the roots and ongoing drivers of racial disparities in wealth and income mobility in the United States.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Americans have become wealthier without becoming happier. Researchers use a time-allocation model to find that while we may know what we enjoy, we may not fully understand what makes us happy. This can lead to underinvestment in activities that build lasting well-being. Read → bit.ly/4zpThDR
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
@durlauf.bsky.social tells Money.com that the current level of wealth inequality is “unhealthy” for the U.S. economy and society. “Successful economic growth and innovation can be preserved with much smaller disparities.” Read now: money.com/us-billionai...
money.com
America's Billionaires Hold More Wealth Than the Bottom 57% of U.S. Households
The 1,265 richest people hold $6.7 trillion in wealth — more than the bottom half of American households combined, new data shows.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Proud to share that our postdoctoral scholar @butaevak.bsky.social is on the Economics job market this year! 🎉 Read her paper linked below, and stay tuned for more on her research in the coming weeks!
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Check out Center Affiliate Yana Gallen's new NBER paper!
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Before 1960, college paid off the same for rich and poor kids––now it doesn't. When Zachary Bleemer went looking for why, the answer wasn't what he expected. He breaks down three things that have changed on this week's Inequality Podcast. Listen here: bit.ly/3V609XY
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Learn more about Butaeva's research: kobutaeva.github.io Learn more about Disch's research: luciennedisch.github.io
kobutaeva.github.io
Postdoctoral Scholar, Stone Center for Research on Wealth Inequality and Mobility, Harris School of Public Policy, University of Chicago
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
For National Postdoc Appreciation Week, we’re highlighting @butaevak.bsky.social and Lucienne Disch, whose research and intellectual contributions are an important part of what we do. Their scholarship helps shape the questions we ask and the knowledge we produce here at the Stone Center.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
🌎 What does it mean to earn success, and does the answer depend on where you live? From college admissions to social mobility, Whither Meritocracy? Part Two: Meritocracy Across the Globe explores how societies and institutions define merit—and who gets rewarded for it. 📚 Out now: bit.ly/4AmNYGc
aapss.org
Whither Meritocracy? Part Two: Meritocracy Across the Globe – AAPSS
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The U.S. poverty rate hit a record low. So why are experts urging caution? Steven Durlauf says rising median household income doesn’t tell the whole story. He points to “inequality-increasing” policies and prices rising faster than wages. Read more: stateline.org/2026/09/15/c...
stateline.org
Census data shows US poverty rate drops to lowest on record, but experts are cautious • Stateline
The official poverty rate in the United States dipped slightly by half a percentage point last year to a historic low of 10.2%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday.
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
Harris School of Public Policy @harrispolicy.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
In @nytimes.com, @durlauf.bsky.social helps explain what’s happening in the latest poverty and income numbers: the job market is shifting. Women’s earnings rose while men’s stayed flat, reflecting changes in who is working and what kinds of jobs are growing. har.rs/4hw1dNr
har.rs
Poverty Rate Was Stable Before Trump's Safety Net Cuts Gained Force
Median household income rose to a record $87,460 in 2025, according to annual Census Bureau data on the financial well-being of Americans.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
For early-career scholars, mentorship can make a world of difference. We are delighted to share that our sister center the Munich International Stone Center, has opened applications to their pipeline program, a one year mentorship. Information available here: www.isi-munich.de/en/programs/...
isi-munich.de
Programmes at ISI — Pipeline — Research & Funding
Our pipeline program combines research, funding, and exchange on global inequality. Find out more about projects and fellowships now.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Can meritocracy defeat its own ideals? Daniel Markovits argues that today’s meritocratic system reproduces dynastic privilege and channels innovation toward elite skills, weakening both equal opportunity and the common good. Read How Meritocracy Became Self-Defeating → bit.ly/46qcKHR
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Stone Center Affiliate and research collaborator, Gueyon Kim, has a new paper out in the Journal of International Economics. Give it a read!
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Research is strengthened when ideas and perspectives cross institutions, borders, and disciplines. That’s why we brought the Stone Center’s Summer School program to Cali, Colombia, with the help of our partners Universidad ICESI & the Georgetown Americas Institute. See what the experience is like!
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
The US has created a new version of the "resource curse." Daniel Markovits says meritocracy concentrates work, income, and status in a narrow elite that dominates a disempowered middle class, making human capital the cursed resource. Listen now → bit.ly/4gVPfv9
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
🚨 New research from Stone Center Affiliate Beatrice Cherrier! Her latest work traces the history of macroeconomics (the study of “the economy” as a whole) from its inception in the interwar period to today.
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
Becker Friedman Institute for Economics @beckerfriedman.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
How does curiosity relate to early learning? New research from Ariel Kalil, Mauricio Koechlin, Michelle Michelini, Dana McCoy & Terri Sabol introduces a new way to measure curiosity in preschoolers—and finds both measures are associated with vocabulary.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Is meritocracy at odds with racial justice? Not necessarily. In a new paper, Glenn Loury advocates for a “thick” meritocracy: one that corrects for racial disparities in talent formation while maintaining race-blind criteria for prestigious opportunities. Read more here → bit.ly/4xNYOTW
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
@durlauf.bsky.social on the decline of U.S. universities in a new @hechingerreport.org article. Learn why he's calling it a "suicidal trajectory": hechingerreport.org/once-globall...
hechingerreport.org
Once globally preeminent, U.S. universities are sliding into decline
High costs, political attacks take a toll as fewer students come, top scholars leave
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Who studies inequality, and does it matter? Historian of economics Béatrice Cherrier (@undercoverhist.bsky.social) takes on this question with her research, examining whether the imbalances and hierarchies within the field shape how economists understand inequality. Listen here → bit.ly/4xmKDVJ
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
It's impossible to be in Colombia right now without acknowledging that the country is recovering from a devastating earthquake. If you're in a position to help, we encourage you to contribute to the recovery efforts through Unida Por Colombia: secure.givelively.org/donate/found...
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
While our students come from all over the world, most have roots in the region and are engaged in research tackling Latin America's pressing societal questions. We're also pleased to have two of the Center's affiliated pre-doctoral scholars, Renato de Angelis and DaiGianna Williams, here with us.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
The Stone Center has landed in Cali, Colombia for our third and final summer school of the year. The week's agenda includes slums, human capital, political corruption, and mobility, all with a careful focus on identification strategies and empirical rigor.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Debates about meritocracy have been raging since the end of feudalism. @laywilliams.bsky.social examines one such dispute between Rousseau and Kant, suggesting that their disagreements and Rousseau's critique in particular, can help clarify our thinking today. Read the essay → bit.ly/4bXmlcv
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
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.
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
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
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
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.
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
Stone Centre on Wealth and Income Inequality at UBC @stone-centre-ubc.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
We're hiring a Communications Specialist at the Stone Centre on Wealth and Income Inequality (UBC/VSE)! Social media, storytelling, and knowledge mobilization for research on inequality. Vancouver-based. Apply by Aug 16 ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com/ubcstaffjobs...
ubc.wd10.myworkdayjobs.com
Communications Specialist, Stone Centre on Wealth and Income Inequality
Staff - Non Union Job Category M&P - AAPS Job Profile AAPS Salaried - Information Services, Level A Job Title Communications Specialist, Stone Centre on Wealth and Income Inequality Department Fac...
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
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
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
@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
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
David Brady @davebrady72.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
It was really engaging to talk w/ the terrific Geoff Wodtke in the Inequality Podcast. Their Podcast hosted by Geoff & @durlauf.bsky.social is one of my favorite podcasts, and regardless of my episode, I strongly recommend. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t... podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...
podcasts.apple.com
David Brady on the Politics of Poverty
Podcast Episode · The Inequality Podcast · July 27 · 58m
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
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
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
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
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
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
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Everyone's talking tariffs. But not everyone can define them or identify who's really footing the bill. @durlauf.bsky.social joins @marketplace.org to ask: 'What if tariffs were called sales taxes?'
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Reposted by UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility
MIT Stone Center on Inequality and Shaping the Future of Work @mitshapingwork.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
The Stone Center is #hiring Predoctoral Researchers at MIT! Predocs will work with @dacemoglumit.bsky.social, @davidautorbsky.social, and/or @simonhrjohnson.bsky.social to support research on inequality, technology, and labor. Learn more and apply by 8/2: shapingwork.mit.edu/careers/jame...
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UChicago | Stone Center on Wealth Inequality & Mobility @ucstonecenter.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
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
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