The Center for the Study of Inequality (CSI) fosters basic and applied research on social and economic inequalities, as well as the processes by which such inequalities change and persist.
As the structure of inequality continues to evolve in unpredictable ways, it becomes increasingly important to develop formal models of the sources and causes of inequality, thus moving beyond the conventional applied research that has dominated the field for decades.
The distinctive feature, then, of CSI is its emphasis on developing theory-based and empirically-tested models of inequality that assist not only in understanding ongoing changes in inequality but also in evaluating public policy and social interventions.
This agenda is pursued by CSI affiliates through studies of such diverse topics as:
- labor market processes and earnings inequality
- educational attainment and adolescent development
- poverty and the life course
- residential segregation and urban poverty
- racial and ethnic inequality
- gender discrimination
- economic development and inequality
The major functions of CSI include: