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The College of Arts & Sciences
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.
Visiting and Colloquium Speakers
The Center for the Study of Inequality regularly sponsors and co-sponsors lectures and conferences that feature world-renowned scholars and that draw attention to the most pressing problems and controversies in the field. Unless otherwise noted, events are free and open to the public. Please feel free to contact us to inquire about support for your event. Current and forthcoming events can be viewed here.
Inequality Discussion Group
This biweekly discussion group brings together Cornell faculty and graduate students from around campus to discuss and improve their in-progress research.
Past Events
Review past events CSI has hosted or co-sponsored.
Cornell University sociologists Benjamin Cornwell, Barum Park and Cristobal Young of the College of Arts & Sciences found social connections are as unequally distributed as income, reinforcing economic advantage. Their open-access book, Friends and Fortunes: Social Capital Inequality in America, shows wealthy Americans hold larger, more influential social networks.
From the early days of Cornell’s founding to the present, scholars have studied the idea and the practice of democracy.
Cornell College of Arts and Sciences professor Isabel M. Perera won the Charles H. Levine Memorial Book Prize and the 2026 European Studies Book Award for “The Welfare Workforce.” Her book examines disparities in mental health care policy.
Cornell University Humanities Scholars traveled to Washington, D.C. to advocate for increased National Endowment for the Humanities and National Archives funding, meeting with congressional offices to highlight the impact of humanities programs on education. Their two‑day trip underscored how federal support strengthens community partnerships, language programs, and public humanities initiatives benefiting campuses and local organizations…
The loss of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits November 1 if the government shutdown holds benefits will have profound repercussions for democracy, says government scholar Jamila Michener.
The study by Cornell government scholars Suzanne Mettler and Trevor Brown spans five decades and includes every U.S. county.
Our online quiz tests your knowledge of current data on wealth, income, and racial inequities in the U.S. When you’re done with the 12 questions, you'll see a histogram that shows how you fared relative to other quiz-takers.