Demography and Social Inequality
The research cluster “Demography and Social Inequality” is aimed at conducting rigorous and relevant research on demographic change and its interrelationship with social inequalities. The latter aspect is of particular importance, because demographic change has been fueled by social change (and vice versa) and the underlying social processes are characterized by a clear social gradient. For example, research has shown that (a) wealth is positively associated with health and longevity, (b) socio-economic status affects both the timing and quantum of fertility, and (c) education is an important factor in determining individuals’ propensity to migrate as well as their chances for a successful integration into the host society.
The causal relationship between demographic behavior and socioeconomic status (social inequalities, respectively), however, is complex and often bi-directional: Wealth is likely to impact individuals’ health, but health is also likely to impact individuals’ capacity to accumulate wealth. High socioeconomic status offers the resources to bear the costs of children, but – at the same time – opportunity costs of childrearing are high for the highest qualified.
Recent years brought about significant improvements in our – theoretical and empirical – understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying demographic outcomes/processes and social inequalities as described above. Another important aspect we still know relatively little about, though, relates to the coping strategies of actors facing the demographic challenges lying just ahead of us. More generally phrased – and following a general model of sociological explanation – we might thus ask:
- How do actors at different levels of aggregation (macro-, meso-, and micro-level) adapt their behaviors to fundamentally changing (social, economic, demographic) environments, coping with new challenges and opportunities?
- How might behavioral changes at the micro-level result in structural changes at higher levels of aggregation? And how are such behavioral changes related to social inequalities (both as a determinant and as a consequence)?
These questions relate all three demographic processes – fertility, migration, and mortality – and various dimensions of social inequality – education, income, social participation, etc. – alike. Answering them requires competence in several substantive fields as well as broad methodological expertise and knowledge of a variety of theoretical approaches to human behavior. The research initiative clusters the individual competences of its members, thereby offering the broad expertise necessary to advance our knowledge in the field of “Demography and Social Inequality”.
The research initiative is in the unique position that its members are involved in a number of long-term data collection enterprises (pairfam, CILS4EU, NRW Survey of Oldest-Old) providing the research community with high-quality research infrastructures. This involvement not only allows us to collect ‘tailor-made’ data needed for our own projects, but also poses us in a position as an attractive partner for external collaborations.
Researchers
While the professors at the ISS form the core of the research initiative, the research cluster includes other associated researchers from the Faculty of Management, Economics and Social Sciences and other Faculties of the University of Cologne.
Selected publications
Valores bajo presión: estudio preliminar sobre el cambio de valores ante la crisis de la COVID-19 en España
Bartolomé, E., L. Coromina, and H. Dülmer (2021). Revista Española De Ciencia Política.
Some Theoretical Reflections on Modernisation, Value Change, Cultural Change and Democracy in a Multilevel Perspective.
Dülmer, H. (2021). European Journal of Political Culture.
Explaining voting in the UK's 2016 EU referendum: Values, attitudes to immigration, European identity and political trust
Dennison, J., D. Seddig and E. Davidov (2021). Social Science Research.
The Role of Human Values in Explaining Support for European Union Membership
Dennison, J., D. Seddig and E. Davidov (2021). Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology.
Mothers’ employment and child behaviour: new evidence for Scotland
Jacob, Marita; Kühhirt, Michael (2021). Longitudinal and Life Course Studies.
LAT relationships: A new living arrangement among the oldest old population in Germany?
Mauritz, Stefan; Wagner, Michael (2021). Demographic Research.
Cross-national differences in the association between retirement and memory decline
Mäcken, Jana; Riley, Alicia R; Glymour, Maria M (2021). The Journals of Gerontology: Series B.
Gesundheitskompetenz der Bevölkerung in Deutschland vor und während der Corona Pandemie. Ergebnisse des HLS-GER 2.
Schaeffer, D., Berens, E.-M., Gille, S., Griese, L., De Sombre, S., Klinger, J., Vogt, D., Hurrelmann, K. (2021).…
Using Social Learning Theories to Better Understand the Variation of the Moral Acceptability of Performance Enhancement Drug Use.
Sattler, S. (2020). American Journal of Bioethics – Neuroscience 11: 248–250.
Linked in Life and Death: A Note on the Effect of Parental Death on Sibling Relations in Young and Middle Adulthood
Hank, Karsten (2021). Journal of Family Issues.