DIGCLASS: Social Classes in the Digital Age

The DIGCLASS project (2021-2024) was born out of the increasing concern in Europe about the implications of the digital revolution for social inequalities and democratic processes. The objective is to better understand how digital technologies alter the mechanisms that generate inequalities in the distribution of resources and life chances, which is crucial for social policies to respond to the challenges of the digital revolution.

DIGCLASS comprises an interdisciplinary team of social scientists with research lines on: (1) the revision and update of existing analytical tools to study the class structure in terms of occupational status and distributive inequality –i.e., income and wealth; (2) the links between socioeconomic position –and its intergenerational transmission, inequalities in life chances (i.e., education and health) and political attitudes (i.e., preferences for redistribution); and (3) the identification of new social protection policies to reduce inequality of opportunity and outcomes, fostering more inclusive economic growth.

The DIGCLASS project produces two main scientific outputs: (1) open-access scientific events –a monthly seminar series featuring world-class academics and the Real Utopias for a Social Europe workshops on innovative social policy proposals; (2) and a Working Paper Series including original contributions from the DIGCLASS team and international external collaborators to be published in high-impact academic outlets.

DIGCLASS is hosted in the Centre for Advanced Studies (CAS) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) at the European Commission (EC) in Seville (Spain). The JRC is the Commission’s Directorate-General for science and knowledge production. It informs and supports EU policies with independent research throughout the whole policy cycle. The CAS aims to enhance the JRC’s capabilities to better understand and address the complex and long-term scientific and societal challenges currently facing the EU.

DIGCLASS contributes to the following JRC research portfolios and EC political priorities: (#33) Innovative policymaking; (#20) Inclusive and resilient society; and (#21) Education, skills and jobs.