STRATIFICATION AND AGING: The Political Economy of the Life Course

Stratification and aging is a graduate seminar that focuses on structural factors in aging and the life course from childhood through old age.  The effects of demographic and historical conditions and state, market, and familial institutions on life transitions and status achievement throughout the life span will be reviewed.  Alternative methods for examining the influences of social structures on life patterns will be integrated with theoretical and substantive materials. The emphases will be on understanding the state of the field through current literature and on following critical approaches to the materials that evaluate alternative approaches and generate new research questions.  The readings selected are not exhaustive, but exemplary of research problems and methods identified with life course and aging research with special emphases on structure-to-individual effects.

The requirements of the course include regular presentations of class materials that will require the leadership of some class discussions and the sharing of critical abstracts of articles and chapters with other seminar participants.  Depending upon class size, each participant will lead between 4 and 5 discussions and share critical abstracts. Abstracts will include 2-3 paragraph summaries of key aspects of the readings (theory, methods, findings) and critiques.  The extent to which assigned readings reflect or depart from major sociological theories and approaches will be examined.  

One major paper is due at the end of the semester (May 5) and will be accompanied by an oral presentation.  Projects should be selected in consultation with the Instructor by February 12. The paper should include a summary and critique of a major theoretical issue or substantive problem in stratification and the life course and a critical summary of (and/or empirical analysis using) a methodological approach applied to this problem.  More details about the expected content, format and length of the papers will be announced in class.  The critical discussions and abstracts account for 1/3 of the final grade; the final paper is worth 2/3 of the final grade.

Required Reading: Most of the readings are drawn from journal articles, annual reviews, and anthologies.  Nearly all of the materials are readily accessible online from archives such as ProQuest, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Expanded Academic Index, etc., available online from Duke University Library.  Other materials will be placed on reserve at Perkins Library (some extra hardcopies can be borrowed for Xeroxing from the instructor, if necessary) or handed out.

Two books are ordered through the Duke Textbook Store:
Esping-Andersen, Gosta. 1999.  Social Foundations of Post-Industrial Economies. Oxford; 
Macunovich, Diane  2002.  Birth Quake. Chicago.

COURSE OUTLINE AND SCHEDULE

Part I.               Introduction to the Social Foundations of the Life Course

Jan 13              Key Concepts, Core Methods, and Master Hypotheses in Life Course Research: State, Market and Family Institutions in Comparative

Perspective

Jan 15              Post-Industrial Economies and  Inequality
                        Esping-Andersen, Chapters 1-3
                        Quadagno and Reid, “The Political Economy Perspective in Aging”
                                    (1999) – Handout

Jan 20              Martin Luther King Day

Jan 22              The Household Economy
                        Esping-Andersen, Chapters 4-5
                        Sainsbury, “Women’s Entitlements as Mothers and Caregivers” (1996) –
                                    Handout

Jan 27              The Market and the Demography of Work
                        Esping-Andersen, Chapters 6-7

Jan 29              The “Changing” Welfare State and Globalization
                        Esping-Andersen, Chapters 8-9
                        Korpi and Palme, “Redistribution and Strategies of Equality in Western Countries (1998)

Part II.              Variable Features of the Life Course: Time, History and Social Structure

Feb 3, 5           Mucanovich, Chapters 1-3                                                      

Feb 10, 12       Mucanovich, Chapters 4-12    

                        Submit proposals for final project topics

Feb 17             Mucanovich, Chapters 13-16
                        Pampel and Peters, “The Easterlin Effect” (1995)
                        Shanahan, Miech and Elder, “Changing Pathways in Men’s Lives:
                         Historical Patterns of School, Work and Social Class (1998)

Part III.             Early Life Course Conditions—Poverty, Social Class and Education

Feb 19             Alwin and Campbell, “Quantitative Approaches: Longitudinal Methods in
                                    the Study of Human Development and Aging” (2001) - Handout

Feb 24             Gortmaker, “The First Injustice” (1997)
                        Duncan et al., “How Much Does Childhood Poverty Affect
                                    The Life Chances of Children” (1998)
                        Lareau, “Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childbearing in Black
                                    Families and White Families” (2002)           

Part IV.            Transitions to Adulthood—Normal and Variant

Feb 26             Lichter et al. “Welfare and the Rise in Female-Headed Families” (1997)
                        Wu, “Effects of Family Instability, Income, and Income Instability on the
                                    Risk of Premarital Birth” (1996)               

Mar 3               Sweeney, “Two Decades of Family Change: The Shifting Economic
                                    Foundations pf Marriage” (2002)

Mar 3               South and Crowder, “Neighborhood Effects on Family Formation”  (1999)
                        Harris, “Life After Welfare” (1997)

Mar 5               Sampson and Laub, “Socioeconomic Achievement in the Life Course of
                                    Disadvantaged Men” (1996)
                        Laub, Nagin and Sampson, “Trajectories of Change in Criminal
                                    Offending” (1998)
                        Uggen, “Work as a Turning Point in the Life Course of Criminals” (2000)

Mar 8-16          SPRING BREAK

Part V.              Midlife Role Encumbency, Life Course Risks and Inequality

Mar 17             Bianchi, “Maternal Employment and Time with Children” (2000)
                        Gornick and Jacobs, “Gender, the Welfare State and Employment” (1998)
                        DiPrete and McManus, “Family Change, Employment Transitions and the
                                    Welfare State” (2000)

Mar 19             Warren et al., “Occupational Stratification Across the Life Course:
                                    Evidence from the WLS” (2002)
                        Chan, “Revolving Doors Re-Examined” (1999)

Part VI.            Later Life Transitions in Retirement and Health

Mar 24             Hayward and Lichter, “Life Cycle Model of Labor Force Inequality” (1998)
                        Crystal and Waehrer, “Later Life Economic Inequality in Longitudinal Perspective” (1996)

Mar 26             No Class (SSS Meetings in New Orleans)

Mar 31             Harrington Meyer and Pavalko, “Family, Work and Access to Health
                                    Insurance among Mature Women” (1996)
                        Sunden and Surette, “Gender Differences in the Allocation of Assets in Retirement Savings Plans (1998)

Apr 2               O’Rand and Farkas, “Couples’ Retirement Timing in the United States in the 1990s” (2002)
                        Han and Moen, “Clocking Out” (1999)

Apr 7, 9           Individual appointments over final projects           

Apr 14, 16       Present final projects    

May 5              Final written project papers due

Appendix A:  Readings

Acronyms used in the reference list in Appendix A.

AJS-American Journal of Sociology; ARS-Annual Review of Sociology; ASR-American Sociological Review; HASS-Handbook of Aging and the Social Sciences; JG-SS-Journal of Gerontology-Social Sciences; JHR-Journal of Human Resources; JHSB-Journal of Health and Social Behavior; SM&R-Sociological Methods and Research.

Alwin, D. F. and Campbell. R.T.  2001. “Quantitative Approaches: Longitudinal Methods in the Study of Human Development and Aging.” In Binstock and George (eds) HASS-5^th Edition. Academic Press.
Bianchi, S. M. 2000. “Maternal Employment and Time With Children: Dramatic Change or Surprising Continuity.” Demography 37: 401-414.
Chan, T. W. 1999. “Revolving Doors Reexamined: Occupational Sex Segregation Over the Life Course.” ASR 64: 86-96.
Crystal, S. and Waehrer, K. 1996. “Later-Life Economic Inequality in Longitudinal Perspective.” JG-SS 51B: S307-S318..
DiPrete, Thomas and P. A. McManus. 2000. “Family Change, Employment Transitions and the Welfare State.” ASR 65: 343-370.
Duncan, Greg J et al. (1998) “How Much Does Childhood Poverty Affect the Life Chances of Children. ASR 63: 406-421.
Elman, C. and O’Rand, A. M. 2002. “The Race is to the Swift.”  Unpublished manuscript
Under review – handout.
Esping-Andersen, Gosta. 1999. Social Foundations of Post-Industrial Economies.  Oxford.
Gornick, J. C. and Jacobs, J. A. 1998. “Gender, the Welfare State and Public Employment.” ASR 63: 688-710.
Gortmaker, S. L. 1997. “The First Injustice: Socioeconomic Disparities. Health Services Technology and Infant Mortality.” ARS 23: 147-170.
Han, S-K and Moen, P. 1999. “Clocking Out: Temporal Patterning of Retirement .” AJS 105:191-226.
Harrington Meyer, M. and Pavalko, E. K. 1996. “Family, Work and Access to Health Insurance among Mature Women.” JHSB 37: 311-325.
Harris, Kathleen. 1996. “Life After Welfare.” ASR 61: 407-426.
Hayward, Mark and Lichter, Daniel. 1998. “A Life Cycle Model of Labor Force Inequality: Extending Clogg’s Life Table Approach.” SM&R 4: 487-510.
Korpi, W. and Palme, J. 1998. Redistribution and Strategies of Equality in Western Countries. ASR 63: 661-687.
Lareau, A. 2002. “Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childbearing in Black Families and White Families,” ASR 67: 747-776.
Laub, J. H., Nagin, D. S. and Sampson, R. J. 1998. “Trajectories of Change in Criminal Offending: Good Marriages and the Desistance Process.” ASR 63: 225-238.
Lichter, D. T. 1997.”Poverty and Inequality Among Children.” ARS 23: 121-145.
Lichter, D. T., Diane K. McLaughlin, David C. Ribar. 1997  “Welfare and the Rise in Female-Headed Families” AJS 103: pp. 112-143      
Mirowsky, J. and Ross, C. E. 1999. “Economic Hardship Across the Life Course.” ASR 64: 548-569 [with Comment by Hardy and Hazelrigg “Fueling the Politics of Age” ASR 64: 570-576 and Reply].
Mucanovich, Diane. 2002.  Birth Quake: The Baby Boom and Its Aftershocks. Chicago.
O’Rand, A.M. and Farkas, J. I. 2002. “Couples’ Retirement Timing in the U.S. in the 1990s.” Intl Jo of Sociology 32: 11-29.
Quadagno, Jill and Reid, Jennifer. 1999. “The Political Economy Perspective in Aging.” Pp. 344-358 in V. L. Bengtson and K. W. Schaie (eds) Handbook of Theories of Aging. NY: Springer.
Sainsbury, Diane. 1996. “Women’s entitlements as mothers and caregivers.” Pp. 73-103 in Gender,  Equality and Welfare States. Cambridge.
Sampson, R. J. and Laub, J. H. 1996. “Socioeconomic Achievement in the Lives of Disadvantaged Men.” ASR 61: 347-367.
Shanahan, M. J., Miech, R. A. and Elder, G. H., Jr. “Changing Pathways to Attainment in Men’s Lives: Historical Patterns of School, Work and Social Class.”  SF 77: 231-256.
South, S. J. and Crowder, K. D. 1999. “Neighborhood Effects on Family Formation: Concentrated Poverty and Beyond.” ASR 64: 113-132.
Sunden, A. E. and Surette, B. J. 1998. “Gender Differences in the Allocation of Assets In Retirement Savings Plans”  Amer Econ Rev 88: 207-211.
Sweeney, M.M. “Two Decades of Family Change: The Shifting Economic Foundations of Marriage,” ASR 67: 132-147.
Uggen, Christopher. 2000. “Work as a Turning Point in the Life Course of Criminals.” ASR 67: 529-546.
Warren, J. R., Sheridan, J. T. and Hauser, R. M. “Occupational Stratification Across the Life Course: Evidence from the WLS.” ASR 67: 432-455
Wu, Lawrence L. 1996. “Effects of Family Instability, Income, and Income Instability on the Risk of Premarital Birth”  ASR 61: 386-406.