Publications

2024/02 Teacher Bias in Assessments by Student Ascribed Status: A Factorial Experiment on Discrimination and Cultural Reproduction

Authors: GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos, PAÑEDA-FERNÁNDEZ Irene, SALAZAR Leire, CASTAÑO MUÑOZ Jonatan

Abstract: Fair evaluations are fundamental for equal opportunity, with teachers as gatekeepers of academic merit in educational systems. Still, identifying their direct role in reproducing or mitigating inequalities via assessments is empirically challenging, yielding inconsistent findings on teacher bias from observational and experimental studies. We test interdisciplinary theories of status characteristics beliefs, statistical discrimination, and cultural reproduction with a pre-registered factorial experiment run on a large representative sample of Spanish pre-service teachers (n=1,717). This design causally identifies, net of true academic competence, the impact of student-ascribed status characteristics—gender, migrant and class origins—and cultural capital on teacher short- and long-term assessments, improving prior studies’ limitations regarding theory testing, confounding, and power. Findings reveal teacher bias in an immediate task of essay grading favoring girls and highbrow cultural capital signals, aligning with status characteristics and cultural reproduction theories, respectively. Concerning teachers’ long-term expectations, findings hint at statistical discrimination against boys, migrant-origin, and working-class students under uncertain information. Unexpectedly, ethnic discrimination changes from teachers favoring native origin in long-term expectations to migrant origin in essay evaluations, suggesting compensatory grading practices. These findings dig deeper into the complex roots of discrimination in teacher assessments as a mechanism underlying educational (in)equality.

2024/01 Wealth Inequality and Stratification by Social Classes in 21st-Century Europe

Authors: GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos, SALAS-ROJO Pedro, VIDAL LORDA Guillem, VILLANI Davide

Abstract: Wealth is a central determinant of life chances and intergenerational status persistence in modern societies. Yet, sociologists traditionally overlooked its role in class measurement and inequality, while most economists focused on the elites. This article reconciles sociological and economic perspectives on class analysis by examining the relationship between classes and wealth inequality versus income. Drawing from the Luxembourg Wealth Study (2002-2018) in five European countries, we test whether occupational classes, based on the entire division of labour, keep up with rising economic inequality trends. In contrast to bold claims on class death or decomposition, inequality of outcomes in wealth accumulation is firmly rooted across big occupational classes in contemporary capitalism, potentially harming future equal opportunity and social mobility. Still, occupational classes better capture between-group income inequality and stratification than wealth, emphasising the importance of economic resources beyond labour market attachment that spark advances in social class theory and measurement.

2023/12 Interaction of family SES with children’s genetic propensity for cognitive and noncognitive skills: No evidence of the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis for educational outcomes

Authors: GHIRARDI Gaia, GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos, BERNARDI Fabrizio, VAN BERGEN Elsje, DEMANGE Perline

Abstract: This study examines the role of genes and environments in predicting educational outcomes. We test the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis, suggesting that enriched environments enable genetic potential to unfold, and the compensatory advantage hypothesis, proposing that low genetic endowments have less impact on education for children from high socio-economic status (SES) families. We use a pre-registered design with Netherlands Twin Register data (426 ≤ n ≤ 3,875). We build polygenic indexes (PGIs) for cognitive and noncognitive skills to predict seven educational outcomes across three designs (between-family, within-family, and trio) accounting for different confounding sources, totalling 2x7x3=42 analyses. Cognitive PGIs, noncognitive PGIs, and parental education positively predict educational outcomes. Supporting the compensatory hypothesis, 36/42 PGIxSES interactions are negative, but only three are significant after multiple-testing corrections (p-value < 0.007). In contrast, the Scarr-Rowe hypothesis lacks empirical support, with just three non-significant positive interactions. Overall, we emphasise the need for future replication studies in larger samples. Our findings suggest mixing social stratification and behavioural genetics theories to illuminate the complex interplay between genes and social environments.

2023/11 Class and Unemployment

Authors: REQUENA Miguel

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to theoretically clarify and empirically analyse the link between social class and unemployment. After reviewing and justifying the criteria used to determine the class position of the unemployed, empirical evidence of the associations between class and unemployment rates in ten selected European countries is provided. Data come from the European Union Labour Force Surveys and European Socio-economic Classifications was used. Results of the analysis show that the likelihood of being unemployed depends on class position. The experience of unemployment is distributed across classes according to a clear gradient in which the more advantaged classes have lower unemployment rates than the working classes. This implies that the class profile of the employed and the unemployed is different and that the employed and the unemployed contribute differentially to class composition, with the unemployed contributing more than the employed to the composition of the working classes. The results are robust to different specifications of the observed populations. The class gradient in unemployment rates is visible among women and men and is also present in all ten countries considered.

2023/10 Distributional and Financial Impact of Universal Inheritance in four European countries

Authors: VIDAL LORDA Guillem, THIEMANN Andreas, SALAZAR Leire, NOGUERA Jose Antonio

Abstract: The idea of a Universal Inheritance (UI) has been recently gaining weight amongst scholars concerned over increasing wealth inequality. A UI consists of a one-off public payment of an agreed sum to each citizen of young adulthood. In this article, we provide the results of novel simulations to assess the cost and the distributive impact of such policy by testing different parameters for both the benefit amount and its financing. The simulations run on a top-tail adjusted version of the Household Financial Consumption Survey covering four countries: Finland, Germany, Ireland, and Italy. We find that, under some parameters, a UI would significantly reduce inequality and could be realistically financed by taxing the top 1%.

2023/09 Policy Responses to Labour-Saving Technologies: Basic Income, Job Guarantee, and Working Time Reduction

Authors: D'ALESSANDRO Simone, DISTEFANO Tiziano, SPINATO MORLIN Guilherme, VILLANI Davide

Abstract: Several studies argue that the latest advancements in technology could result in a continuous decrease in the employment level, the labour share of income and higher inequalities. This paper investigates policy responses to the rise of labour-saving technologies and their potential negative effects on employment and inequality. Using EUROGREEN (an Input-Output-Stock-Flow model), we assess how three different policy measures – basic income (BI), job guarantee (JG), and working time reduction without loss of payment (WTR) – could affect the economy in the wake of a technological shock. We build different scenarios in which the effects of these policies are implemented against a reference setting of high labour productivity growth. We evaluate the impact of these policies on per capita GDP, the Gini coefficient, the labour share, the unemployment rate, and the deficit-to-GDP ratio. We find that these policies could be effective in counterbalancing some of the negative effects of labour-saving technologies. JG reduces the level of unemployment significantly and permanently, whereas BI and WTR only temporarily affect the unemployment rate. WTR effectively increases the wage share and generates the lowest deficit-to-GDP ratio in the long run. The introduction of a wealth tax further reduces inequality and helps to offset the increase in public spending associated with JG and BI. A mix of these policies delivers the highest per capita GDP, lowest unemployment rate, and best distributive outcomes.

2023/08 Assessing the Validity of Four-day Week Pilots

Author: CUELLO Hugo

Abstract: The four-day workweek has gained global attention and popularity, with supporters arguing it can improve several conditions, such as productivity, job creation, and the environment. Small-scale pilot programmes are being carried out to better understand the concept, but it is crucial to ensure they are well-designed and implemented for reliable results. This working paper assesses the quantitative outcomes, scope, and methodological limitations of recent pilots and provides insight into future pilot designs for a more comprehensive understanding of the four-day workweek. A framework for categorising the four-day week pilots is presented, followed by an in-depth analysis of three case studies and their approaches to measuring various performance indicators and outcomes. The main section of the working paper provides a comprehensive examination of the quantitative limitations of the four-day week pilots. Drawing on these limitations, the paper offers ten specific recommendations for future researchers and policymakers to enhance the validity of four-day week pilots.

2023/07 The Myth of the Middle Class Squeeze: Employment and Income by Class in Six Western Countries, 1980-2020

Authors: MOAWAD Jad, OESCH Daniel

Abstract: The public debate regularly depicts the middle class as the victim of employment polarization and income stagnation. This narrative of a squeezed middle class suggests that people both above and below fared better in terms of employment and incomes. However, this narrative ignores basic insights from class theory and lacks empirical evidence. Based on the Luxembourg Income Study, we trace the evolution of employment and income by class for France, Germany, Poland, Spain, the UK and US, 1980-2020. Over this period, employment of the upper-middle and middle class swelled by 10 to 20 percentage points, while the ranks of the working class dwindled everywhere. Working-class households also made consistently smaller income gains than middle-class household in all countries except Poland. Between 1980 and 2020, real labor income of the working class declined in Germany, stagnated in the United States and grew by less than one percent annually in France and the UK. While the promise of doing better than their parents and grand-parents held for middle-class households, it has broken down for the working class – most clearly so in Germany and the US. The great economic loser of the last four decades was not the middle, but the working class.

2023/06 Educational gradients in the prevalence of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) births in a comparative perspective

Authors: GOISIS Alice, FALLESEN Peter, SEIZ Marta, SALAZAR Leire, EREMENKO Tatiana, COZZANI Marco

Abstract: A handful of studies from individual countries have shown that parents of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR)-conceived children are more likely to have, relative to parents of naturally conceived (NC) children, higher socioeconomic status. Yet, a comparative perspective is lacking. In this paper we assess the extent to which children conceived after MAR are more likely to be born to socioeconomically advantaged mothers, measured through their level of education, and whether the gradient varies across countries with different institutional contexts, specifically Denmark, France, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States, using national representative data and applying Linear Probability Models. Children of socioeconomically advantaged mothers are more likely to have been conceived after MAR across all contexts prior to adjustment for covariates. After adjustment, however, educational differences fully attenuate in France and the United Kingdom.

2023/05 Income inequality, top shares of income and social classes in the 21st century

Authors: GIANGREGORIO Luca, VILLANI Davide

Abstract: This paper studies income distribution and inequality in Germany, Spain and Italy by applying the approach described in Fana and Villani (2022a). This framework provides a novel classification of labourers and capitalists that considers some features of contemporary capitalism, namely the fact that individuals/households can receive multiple types of incomes and the role of managers in shaping class belonging. First, we perform a decomposition of the Gini index to study which sources of income contribute to inequality. A marginal increases in wages would contribute to the reduction of the overall level of inequality, while profits and property income augment it. Furthermore, only the growth of wages received by labourers would help to lower inequality, whereas those received by capitalists would increase it. Second, we discuss how our approach links to the literature on wages at the top of the distribution of income, assessing whether the growth of wages at the top of the distribution of income is evident in our dataset and we explore who receives these wages at the top of the distribution of income. We find that there is a growing presence of wages at the top of the distribution on income. However, this growth corresponds mostly to wages received by what we call capitalists, not labourers. We conclude that despite a linear correspondence between income source and class location is more blurred today than it was 200 years ago but, nonetheless, a class divide is still clear, at least in the three countries analysed.

2023/04 Policy responses to technological change in the workplace

Authors: BÜRGISSER Reto

Abstract: The rise of new technologies has been a defining feature of advanced capitalist countries over the last decades, reigniting concerns about the future of work, rising inequality, and technological unemployment. While there is little doubt that rapid technological progress has far-reaching economic, social, and political consequences, little is known about viable and effective policies governments can implement to assist workers and communities in adjusting to a fast-changing economic landscape and rising labor market insecurity. This paper focuses on the ability of public policies to moderate technology-induced labor market vulnerability and its well-documented political downstream consequences. First, I suggest to theoretically classify policy responses according to their intended goal into a three-fold typology, distinguishing between investment, steering, and compensation policies. After that, I provide a detailed discussion on the current state of the empirical literature how such policy responses affect workers coping with technological change. In the last section, I discuss to what extent these findings can guide the adoption of policies to help workers adapt to technological change and point out potential avenues for future research.

2023/03 Socioeconomic differences in access to and use of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) in a context of increasing childlessness

Authors: SEIZ Marta, EREMENKO Tatiana, SALAZAR Leire

Abstract: The WHO estimates that around 186 million individuals live with infertility. Although the drivers of infertility are varied and complex, it is linked to the postponement of childbearing in Western countries, and unsafe abortions and deficits in maternal health in less affluent societies. The development of Medically Assisted Reproduction (MAR) has attracted increased attention of both researchers and the wider public. This report summarizes research on MAR and examines the main drivers behind its development, as well as the different contexts in which it takes place, and the main socioeconomic variables underlying variations in access and usage. We focus more specifically on Europe, where MAR is more extensively regulated, but also more widespread compared to other regions. The first section contextualises the emergence and increasing use of MAR from a sociodemographic perspective and describes the major fertility-related transformations and the socioeconomic correlates behind these trends. The second section engages with the phenomenon of infertility, providing evidence of its prevalence and underlying drivers from a biological and an environmental perspective. The third section provides an overview of MAR treatments offered and their regulation and use across countries, as well as the role of macro- and micro-level factors in explaining these variations. Lastly, the report discusses the implications and challenges posed by the development of MAR in contemporary societies.

2023/02 Conceptualizations of socio-economic status and preferences for redistribution

Authors: JAIME-CASTILLO Antonio M., FERNÁNDEZ Juan J.

Abstract: The self-interest approach to preferences for redistribution draws upon the idea that socio-economic conditions influence policy preferences via personal interests. Following this principle, a burgeoning interdisciplinary literature has examined the influence of socio-economic status (SES) on redistributive preferences. Yet this body of research is quite fragmented because it includes a plethora of understandings of SES and there is still no consensus on which conceptualization best accounts for variation in these preferences. We fill this gap in the literature through an analysis of the predictive validity of seven conceptualizations of SES: (i) income as a linear measure; (ii) income measured in deciles; (iii) skills specificity; (iv) ESeC schema; (v) Kitchelt-Rehm’s class schema; (vi) risk of unemployment; and (vii) routine task intensity. Using data from the European Social Survey for 24 countries in 2012-2018, we determine the predictive validity of each conceptualization through measures of goodness of fit that prove sensitive to explanatory power and parsimony of the models. The results show that linear income constitutes the conceptualization with highest predictive validity in 14 of the 24 countries. The approaches of the risk of unemployment and skills specificity display lower validity than income but higher than that of the ESeC, Oesch and Kitchelt-Rehm class schemas.

2023/01 Workers support for policies to address digitalization-related risks

Authors: BICCHI Nicolas, KUO Alexander, GALLEGO Aina

Abstract: What policies do individuals prefer in response to the labor market risks related to the ongoing processes of digitalization and automation? To what extent does being exposed to different forms of “technological risk” condition such preferences? In this paper, we advance existing research on this topic by distinguishing between three main dimensions of technological risks (general concern about negative impacts, concern about tasks in one’s job being automated, and technostress) and preferences for three types of policies related to these risks (compensation, retraining, and protectionist policies intended to slow down or prevent technological change). Using new survey evidence from Spain, we find little evidence that technological risks matter for preferences for compensation or retraining, but they do condition support for protectionist policies. We conclude with implications for politics in the current context of rapid digitalization.

2022/07 Is it all the same? Types of innovation and their relationship with direct control, technical control and algorithmic management across European firms

Authors: FANA Marta, VILLANI Davide

Abstract: Using firm-level data from 28 European countries, this paper explores the relationship between two types of innovation (process and digital) and different forms of control (direct and indirect) at the workplace. We find that (1) digital innovation is more common than process innovation; (2) more innovative firms record higher levels of indirect control (especially related to algorithmic management) and lower level of direct control (3) the relationship between innovation and control is not uniform across European countries. These findings nurture the debate on the future of work as the process of digitalisation may promote a shift towards indirect forms of control and contribute to reduce the degree of direct control. Moreover, these changes may also affect the bargaining process and lead to a redefinition of managerial roles, though it should be acknowledged that social and institutional factors play an important role in shaping this process.

Scientific publication: Fana, M., & Villani, D. (2023). Is it all the same? Types of innovation and their relationship with direct control, technical control and algorithmic management. European Journal of Industrial Relations, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/09596801231180399

2022/06 The economics of class. A dual approach

Authors: ESTEVE MORA Fernando, MUÑOZ DE BUSTILLO LLORENTE Rafael

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to present a novel proposal to define social classes from the economic perspective. This paper draws on a previous working paper (Muñoz de Bustillo and Esteve, 2022) that discusses the demise of the concept of social classes in economic analysis derived from the triumph of Neoclassical Theory, its substitution in recent times by the definition of social classes based on ad-hoc aggregation of deciles of people in the income distribution, and the convenience to explore new ways of defining social classes from an economic perspective. The proposal presented in this paper regarding social classes is based on two different elements. The first one is the participation or exclusion of a given person from the economic surplus. The second one is its position, both in terms of income and consumption, in relation to the necessary consumption, C*, and average income, Y. These concepts allow defining three different social classes: Low, Middle and High, that can be further divided in subclasses up to a total of seven. A second, and less developed part of the paper reviews the role of economic power in explaining the allocation of different people in the above-mentioned social classes.

2022/05 Reconsidering social classes and functional income distribution in the 21st century. A theoretical and empirical assessment

Authors: FANA Marta, VILLANI Davide

Abstract: The original assumption behind the measurement of functional income distribution was that this measure would reflect uniquely the income allocated to different social classes. However, this straightforward dichotomy is more complicated today than it was 200 years ago for different reasons, such as the diversification of sources of income, and the role of managers. This paper proposes a new estimation of factors income distribution that is based not only on the source of income but also considers class belonging. We provide an empirical estimate for Italy (1991-2016) using the Survey on Households Income and Wealth (Bank of Italy). The revised labourers share is lower than the standard wage share. Moreover, we show that the size of the labour class is growing considerably due to the expansion of wage earners while at the same time they suffer a remarkable loss of income. Despite some labourers move towards the top of the distribution, most of the growing presence of wage income in the top of the distribution is imputable to managers.

2022/04 The early roots of the digital divide: socioeconomic inequality in children’s ICT literacy from primary to secondary schooling

Authors: PASSARETTA Giampiero, GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos

Abstract: Information and communications technology (ICT) skills are crucial for labour market success and full participation in society. Socioeconomic status (SES) inequality in the development of ICT skills would prevent disadvantaged children from reaping the benefits of the digital age. Besides, the digital divide in ICT literacy might add to the already well-documented large and persistent SES inequality in ‘hard’ skills—like math, reading, and science. This article studies the roots, evolution, and drivers of SES inequality in ICT literacy from age 8 to 15 in Germany. Drawing from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we highlight five main findings: (1) SES gaps in ICT literacy exist as early as age 8 (grade 3) and are similar in size compared to SES gaps in hard skills; (2) like hard skills, SES gaps in ICT literacy remain stable over primary and tracked lower secondary schooling; (3) ICT access and use at home and school do not substantially explain SES gaps in ICT literacy at any age; (4) selection into school tracks seems a critical pathway, although not necessarily a causal one, leading to SES inequality in secondary school; (5) SES gaps in ICT literacy are not observed among children with similar levels of hard skills. We discuss the implications of these findings for the interdisciplinary literature on social stratification, skill formation, and the digital divide.

Scientific publication: Passaretta, G., & J. Gil-Hernández, C. (2023). "Chapter 17: The early roots of the digital divide: socioeconomic inequality in children's ICT literacy from primary to secondary schooling". In Research Handbook on Digital Sociology. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. https://www.elgaronline.com/view/book/9781789906769/book-part-9781789906769-26.xml

2022/03 Technology, tasks and social classes in Europe

Authors: GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos, VIDAL LORDA Guillem, TORREJON PEREZ Sergio

Abstract: EGP (Erikson-Goldthorpe-Portocarero)-based occupational class schemas, rooted in industrial-age employment relations, are the standard measure of socioeconomic position in social stratification. Previous research highlighted EGP-based schemas’ difficulties to keep up with changing labour markets, but few tested alternative explanations. This article explores how job tasks linked to technological change and economic inequality might confound the links between employment relations, classes, and life chances. Using the European Working Conditions Survey covering the EU-27, this article analyses over time and gender (1) the task distribution between social classes; and (2) whether tasks are predictive of class membership and life chances. Decomposition analyses suggest that tasks explain class membership and wage inequality better than employment relations. However, intellectual/routine tasks and digital tools driving income inequality are well-stratified by occupational classes. Therefore, this article does not argue for a class (schema) revolution but for fine-tuning the old instrument to portray market inequalities in the digital age.

Scientific publication: Gil-Hernández, C. J., Vidal, G., & Torrejón Perez, S. (2023). Technological Change, Tasks and Class Inequality in Europe. Work, Employment and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/09500170231155783

2022/02 Social classes in economic analysis. A brief historical account

Authors: MUÑOZ DE BUSTILLO LLORENTE Rafael, ESTEVE MORA Fernando

Abstract: The purpose of this working paper, the first of a series of three aiming at studying social classes from an economic perspective, is to review the role played by social classes in economic analysis. With that aim, we will first discuss the use of the concept of social classes in the analysis of classical economists. Then we will present the reasons behind the abandonment of the concept of social classes as an analytical tool by the marginalist school who triumphed in the final quarter of the 19th century, changing the economic paradigm, and by mainstream economists in the 20th Century. Nevertheless, it can be argued that the classical idea of social class (based on the source of income: wages versus profits) has somehow remained alive in modern macroeconomic analysis, if in disguise, behind the concept of functional (or factorial) distribution of income. The last part of the paper reviews the role played by the functional distribution of income in current macroeconomic analysis, and studies how the evolution of the economy and labour relations in the last few decades has made the interpretation of the functional distribution of income in terms of social classes less relevant than in the past.

2022/01 Contemporary class analysis

Author: OESCH Daniel

Abstract: A popular thesis in social stratification argues that the middle class is declining. Our chapter argues that this thesis is flawed both conceptually and empirically. Conceptually, it mixes up the middle and working class and, empirically, misrepresents the trends that shape the class structure. Our chapter discusses the main concepts of class and proposes a model that grasps the class structure of contemporary Western societies. Based on clearer concepts, labour force surveys clearly show that the early 21st century did not see the demise, but the expansion of the (salaried) middle class. Never in history had so many people been working in managerial, professional and technical jobs. By contrast, over the last four decades, the working class experienced a massive employment decline – and this decline had far-reaching consequences. It has vastly reduced its political clout as shown in decreasing trade union density and strike activity as well as in rising income inequality. Moreover, it has led to a fundamental realignment of class voting and contributed to growing family instability. Rather than eroding the middle class, the last decades have put an end to the working-class century.

Scientific publication: Oesch, Daniel (2023). 'Contemporary Class Analysis', in Markus Gangl and others (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Social Stratification (online edn, Oxford Academic, 20 Apr. 2023), https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197539484.013.12

2024/01 International Workshop "Social Class Analysis in the Digital Age: New Approaches and Perspectives" - Summary Report

Authors: SALAZAR Leire; GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos; VIDAL LORDA Guillem; VILLANI Davide; DE QUINTO Alicia

Abstract: This is the summary report of the International workshop on Social class analysis in the digital age: New approaches and perspective, held in Seville on 4 and 5 December 2024. The first session presents research challenges traditional notions of stable occupational positions, highlighting dynamic transitions throughout individuals' careers. The session on class inequality reveals a surprising stability in earnings stratification by social class in some countries, challenging some assumptions about income mobility. Social class significantly influences earnings trajectories, particularly impacting women due to family-related disruptions. Research on intergenerational mobility highlighted that socioeconomic shifts affect intergenerational support dynamics, potentially hindering opportunities for offspring from disadvantaged backgrounds. Household employment uncertainty impacts children's cognitive development, while broadband internet shows gendered disparities in academic performance, particularly affecting girls from socially vulnerable families. On the second day of the workshop, the first session was dedicated to studying the relationship between technology and labour market inequality. Authors delved into the impact of technology on labour market dynamics and inequality, discussing the polarization hypothesis, economic transformations' effects on politics, and the relationship between robots and labour markets. The following session explored the intersection of technology and politics, examining digitalization's potential for political conflict and policy responses to labour market shifts, including the impact of automation on unionization and political landscapes. Then, the seminar explored different policy responses to technological challenges, discussing citizens' perceptions of labour market risks, effectiveness of policy interventions, and alternative income-guarantee schemes' potential to address social protection gaps. In the last session, we delved into political behaviour amidst technological change, examining upward social mobility, intergenerational mobility's influence on voting, and the role of macroeconomic factors in voter turnout, highlighting the complex relationship between social mobility and political outcomes. Final remarks concluded with reflections on its interdisciplinary nature and the need to understand technological change within broader macro challenges. It was noted that there is a prevalence of empirical over theoretical work in social stratification, suggesting a need for balance and advancement in both domains.

2023/03 DIGCLASS 2022-2023 Seminar Series Highlights

Authors: SALAZAR Leire; GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos; VILLANI Davide; VIDAL LORDA Guillem; FERNANDEZ MACIAS Enrique; MAZZEO ORTOLANI Giovanna; TORREJON PEREZ Sergio

Abstract: This document summarises the highlights of the Seminar Series of the Social Classes in the Digital Age (DIGCLASS) Project held between October 2022 and June 2023. The DIGCLASS seminar series is expected to facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge ideas and debates between social science academics from research institutions worldwide, policy-makers and a general audience. The topics of the seminars are interdisciplinary including social inequality and stratification, labour economics, political economy, and political behaviour.

2023/02 Real Utopias for a Social Europe: Redistributing Power and Workplace Democracy

Authors: VIDAL LORDA Guillem; SALAZAR Leire; NOGUERA Jose Antonio; VILLANI Davide

Abstract:  The third workshop in the series brought together fifteen experts from diverse fields, delving into key areas such as participatory management and co-determination, the interplay of platform cooperativism and the gig economy, and the increasingly relevant field of algorithmic democracy. Approaching these topics from a policy-oriented and evidence-based perspective, this event aligned with the European Commission's goal of fostering equitable work environments. It offered an insightful dialogue on power redistribution and its role in enhancing workplace fairness and inclusivity.

2023/01 Real Utopias for a Social Europe: Working Time Reduction and the 4-Day Week, Summary Report

Authors: SALAZAR Leire; VIDAL LORDA Guillem; NOGUERA Jose Antonio; VILLANI Davide

Abstract:  Real Utopias for a Social Europe consists of technical debate-type workshops on various bold and innovative social policy proposals. Leading policy experts will come together to assess and discuss these policy proposals’ feasibility, distributional impact, costs, and scalability through evidence based on pilots and field experiments, microsimulation studies, actual policy experiences and other empirical research designs. The objective is to bolster a hive mind that can provide rigorous and creative tools to tackle growing socio-economic inequalities in the context of major social and economic transformations ahead. The second workshop in the series addresses Working Time Reduction and the 4-Day Week, brought together selected experts on these policies to discuss on the pros and cons of these measures, their potential social, environmental and economic impacts from a policy-oriented and evidence-based point of view. This workshop closely fits the European Commission’s priority of dealing with an economy that works for people and a European Green Deal.

2022/03 DIGCLASS 2021-2022 Seminar Series Highlights

Authors: SALAZAR Leire; GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos; VIDAL LORDA Guillem; FERNANDEZ MACIAS Enrique; SOSTERO Matteo; THIEMANN Andreas

Abstract: This document summarises the highlights of the Seminar Series of the Social Classes in the Digital Age (DIGCLASS) Project held between October 2021 and June 2022. The DIGCLASS seminar series is expected to facilitate the exchange of cutting-edge ideas and debates between social science academics from research institutions worldwide, policy-makers and a general audience. The topics of the seminars are interdisciplinary including social inequality and stratification, labour economics, political economy, and political behaviour.

2022/02 Real Utopias for a Social Europe: Universal Benefits Workshop. Summary Report

Authors: NOGUERA Jose Antonio; SALAZAR Leire; VIDAL LORDA Guillem

Abstract:  Real Utopias for a Social Europe consists of technical debate-type workshops on various bold and innovative social policy proposals. Leading policy experts will come together to assess and discuss these policy proposals’ feasibility, distributional impact, costs, and scalability through evidence based on pilots and field experiments, microsimulation studies, actual policy experiences and other empirical research designs. The objective is to bolster a hive mind that can provide rigorous and creative tools to tackle growing socio-economic inequalities in the context of major social and economic transformations ahead.The first workshop in the series addressed two types of universal benefits, namely universal inheritance (UI) and universal basic income (UBI). This high-level event, with more than 40 participants, brought together 30 high-profile international experts on different aspects of such policies. This workshop closely fits the European Commission’s priority of dealing with an economy that works for people.

2022/01 Kick-off Workshop Report

Authors: SALAZAR Leire; GIL HERNANDEZ Carlos; VIDAL LORDA Guillem; VILLANI Davide

Abstract: This document is the report of the Kick-off Workshop of the Social Classes in the Digital Age (DIGCLASS) project held on the 21-22 of September 2021. The kick-off workshop was a high-level event with more than 100 participants that brought together 13 high-profile international experts on social inequality from different social science disciplines to discuss technological change and inequality, two topics directly under the European Commission’s priorities. The objective was to generate synergies with leading experts and institutions globally on these two key areas to feed the policy process relevant for the Commission. The programme was structured around four overarching questions: 1. Are existing systems of social protection adequate for the digital age? 2. Are contemporary societies still class-based? 3. How are digital technologies transforming the social structure? 4. Does socioeconomic position still drive political outcomes? Each of the questions were addressed by three to four experts in a round table format, offering a stimulating debate on the implications of technological change for social inequalities and aiming to promote collaboration between the CAS and leading experts and institutions globally, in order to help shape and inform policy making of the Commission.

2022/01 Whom does inflation hurt most?

Authors: VILLANI Davide; VIDAL LORDA Guillem

Abstract: Western economies are experiencing a rapid increase in inflation rates fuelled by energy prices and the war in Ukraine. Yet, the impact of the price increase is not equally distributed. In 8 out of 17 countries, lower-income groups whose consumption basket is mainly composed of essential goods are most affected by the increase in prices. Poorest households suffered a rise in prices 2 to 5 percentage points higher than the wealthiest households. Target compensatory policies financed through higher revenues from energy taxes could be an effective way to mitigate the regressive effect of inflation.