The Psychology of Socioeconomic Inequality in the United States
Loading...
Date
2021-11-23
Authors
Ludwig, Rita
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Effective, evidence-based public policy is of critical importance to address issues of socioeconomic inequality, poverty, and class mobility. Psychological science has a valuable opportunity to inform the development of effective policy through its person-centered approach to understanding social phenomena. The core thesis of this dissertation is that the ability to design effective social welfare is dependent upon a comprehensive understanding of inequality as a systemic social phenomenon, and that psychological science can fill gaps in this understanding that are unaccounted for by traditionally dominant sociological and economic theories. To demonstrate this, I present two novel empirical studies that link socioeconomic status and mobility to psychological factors. The first study (Chapter II) tests whether personality traits such as conscientiousness and impulsivity, discounting of distant financial rewards, and socioeconomic status are related in a sample of N = 1100 American adults with annual income ranging from at or below the poverty line ($0–$20,000) to upper-middle class ($200,000+). The second study (Chapter III) builds on the former with a sample of N = 313 American adults who recorded their daily financial expenditures to test whether and how personality traits and affective experience relate to everyday purchases. I conclude with a general discussion (Chapter IV) reviewing how extant psychological theories can account for the muted successes of real-world policy, and make recommendations for those seeking to further address issues of socioeconomic inequality through research and policy initiatives.
This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material.
Description
Keywords
Economics, Inequality, Poverty, Psychology, Sociology