Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2009. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 192-199).

The racial wealth gap is a deeply inexorable indicator of inequality. Today the average family of color holds only six cents of wealth for every dollar owned by whites. What accounts for such stubborn inequality in an era lauded as racially progressive? Intergenerational family links suggest a major linchpin. In this dissertation I work toward a race critical theory of social reproduction, drawing on 156 family histories of intergenerational wealth transfer. These data were categorically coded for instances of wealth and capital acquisition and transfer, as well as qualitatively analyzed for thematic patterns using the extended case method. My analysis targets specific social mechanisms that differentially promote the transmission of wealth and other forms of capital (e.g., social networks, educational credentials) across racial groups over time. I isolate racial patterns in the mobility trajectories of families through an original construct, inheritance pathways – instances involving the transfer and/or interconvertiblity of wealth/capital between two or more generations. Among my sample, inheritance pathways were regularly traceable from ancestors living during legal slavery and segregation. My analysis reveals that the wealth and capital acquired by white families regularly works in interlocking, supportive ways to “pave” pathways of protected, intergenerational mobility over time. In contrast, though families of color evidence many efforts to build upwardly mobile pathways, they are frequently divested of their capital through both explicitly and subtly racist means. Moreover, the value of their capital is often diminished, making it less useful in launching and sustaining mobility pathways. My analysis hones in on the recursive relationship between micro level family actions and the racial state, which is regularly implicated in these processes. I draw on these data to additionally expand the concept racial capital – a type of “currency” that intersects with other forms of capital for individuals, families and groups. Collectively, the inheritance pathways of families suggest that whiteness often intervenes to (1) “unlock” forms of capital for some individuals/families/groups; and, (2) enhance the value of other forms of capital. Ultimately I argue that inheritance pathways and racial capital serve as primary means for reproducing conditions and meanings that sustain systemic racism over time.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2006. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-71). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR19815

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Notre Dame, 2009. / Thesis directed by Christian Smith for the Department of Sociology. "January 2009." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 51-56).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio State University, 2005. / Title from first page of PDF file. Document formatted into pages; contains x, 122 p.; also includes graphics. Includes bibliographical references (p. 113-122). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 141-148).

This dissertation examines China’s market reforms over the last few decades, and their implications for (re)shaping socioeconomic inequalities in health. Specifically, I study the effect of marketization and related structural changes at community level on individual health outcomes. The first part of this dissertation revisits the market transition theory of Nee (1989), using individual health status as the outcome variable to assess Nee’s theory. Using multiple waves of a longitudinal survey from 1991 to 2006, I compare temporal changes in the role of human capital, political capital, and state policy in determining health under marketization. In partial support of the market transition theory, the empirical results show that the significance of human capital for health increases with marketization, while the return to political capital and one’s household registration status diminishes with a growing market. Additionally, I distinguish between marketization effects on community level, and different aspects of community context in shaping the SES-health link. I find that the level of urbanization and available resources within each community exert influences on self-rated health and change the relative importance of individual socioeconomic conditions in shaping health. Overall, this study provides new longitudinal evidence from China to support the notion that health is influenced by dynamic processes moderated by the structural changes as well as the social stratification system. I discuss the findings in the context of China’s market reform, fundamental causes theory, and socio-ecological perspectives, highlighting that health is determined by a nexus of life experiences and social environment that impact individuals at different levels. / 10000-01-01

Cette thèse interroge l'existence et la définition de « nouvelles migrations de travail » en Europe à partir de l'analyse comparée des jeunes migrants Polonais et Roumains au Royaume-Uni et en Espagne. En adoptant une approche comparative et historique, elle montre d’abord que c'est la conjonction entre un espace économique inégal et une intégration économique avancée d'une part ; et la transformation des inégalités intranationales vis-à-vis de l'emploi d'autre part, qui explique la diversité des propensions à migrer dans les différents pays européens. En se plaçant ensuite du côté des pays d'accueil, elle montre la persistance de la segmentation du marché du travail et la pertinence de l'utilisation de cadres d'analyse transnationaux et sectoriels pour mettre en évidence l'existence de marchés d'emplois locaux globalisés. L'étude analyse également le processus de ségrégation professionnelle des migrants, dont les ressources personnelles (et en particulier l'origine sociale) conditionnent fortement les opportunités de mobilité sociale. Enfin, en analysant l’interaction entre mobilité, insertion professionnelle et passage à l’âge adulte, elle montre que la mobilité peut devenir une forme de précarité sociale marquée par une incertitude temporelle et spatiale. Au final, l'étude démontre la nécessité de distinguer les pratiques de mobilité, qui se caractérisent par une diversification sociale, des usages sociaux distincts, classés et classants, dans un champ de l'international transformé par la libre-circulation ; et les migrations de travail comme fait social, caractérisées par de fortes régularités historiques. / This dissertation investigates the definition and the characterization of “new” labor migrations within Europe. Based on a comparative analysis of young Polish and Romanian migrants in the United-Kingdom and in Spain, it uses both statistical data and qualitative analysis of migrants’ interviews. The analysis of patterns of migration within the European space shows that the diversity of national profiles can be explained by the convergence of an integrated but unequal economic space on one hand, and the rise of new intranational inequalities regarding the labor market, on the other hand. The analysis based on the countries of destination (the United-Kingdom and Spain) shows that labor market segmentation is still prevailing. It suggests that the transnational and sector-based approach is necessary to fully explain and identify globalised labor markets. The analysis also investigates the social process of segmentation and its impact on migrants’ occupational mobility, or the lack thereof. It shows that chances of mobility depend mainly on individual resources reflecting the social origin of migrants. Finally, the analysis of the links between professional integration, entry into adulthood and mobility suggests that mobility is also a kind of uncertainty, both time-related and space-related. As a conclusion, the study reveals the necessity of distinguishing between mobility practices, characterized by a growing diversity and distinct social uses in the transformed international field of free mobility; and contemporary labor migrations as a social fact, which includes in part intra-european migrations.

Social stratification research has consistently found persistent inequalities in the academic outcomes of children from different socio-economic status (SES) groups. Research in the sociology of education has shown that students from higher SES groups outperform peers from lower SES groups on various academic indicators as well as make greater academic progress when assessed at two or more separate points in time. Recent evidence from the US has also shown that participation in leisure out-of-school activities (OSA) is among the factors which may contribute to maintaining or even widening these inequalities. Similar evidence is lacking in the UK. The present research focuses on this issue by analysing the role of participation in leisure OSA in the process of reproduction of social inequalities in academic outcomes among British school-aged children. The study draws on social and cultural capital theories to address the following questions: a) Are there differences in participation in OSA among school-aged children in dissimilar SES groups?; b) Taking into account children’s SES, is participation in OSA associated with their academic outcomes?; c) Does the association between participation in OSA and children’s academic outcomes vary across different SES groups? Using data from the third and fourth sweeps of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), when cohort members were aged 5 and 7 years old, the research explores participation in three categories of leisure activities; a) social-group activities, b) commercial-public activities, and c) home-centred activities. Children’s academic outcomes are assessed using verbal and non-verbal standardised tests, as well as by teachers’ assessment. The study applied regression models to examine the relationships between children’s SES, participation in OSA and academic outcomes. The statistical analyses were carried out in a multilevel framework which enabled the MCS hierarchical data structure and area variations to be accounted for. The findings suggest that participation in some, but not all leisure OSA is one of the factors which contributes to socio-economic inequalities in educational outcomes among British school-aged children. This is because participation in OSA is associated with better academic performance among all students, however those in high SES groups are more likely to be exposed to such activities. After controlling for SES, gender, family characteristics, school type, absenteeism and geographical variation, there is a small to moderate positive relationship between participation in a number of different leisure OSA and 7-year-olds' academic performance. Interestingly, variations among children from different SES groups were found in the extent to which attendance at certain OSA (e.g. after-school clubs) is associated with academic development between age 5 and 7: children from lower SES who attend such activities tend to progress more academically than children from intermediate and higher SES.

With a rapidly changing work environment due to increased migration and ease of travel, organisations today is challenged by a multicultural setting of individuals in employment. Additionally there is an increase in the number of highly educated employees working in the same teams as lesser educated individuals. The purpose of this paper is to research how the leadership is influenced by the cultural and educational diversity in a team. The study is a comparison study between two demographically similar teams in the same organisation. The difference between teams is that one team comprises of highly educated individuals classified under creative class based on Richard Florida's (2002) workforce classification. The other team comprises of individuals with lower education and are classified under service class. This research has found that the leadership is influenced in a different way when the level of education is included in the multicultural teams. Thus, besides culture, education also plays a big part in how the leadership is impacted.