30206

SoSe 22: Discrimination: Theories, Measurement, and Empirical Applications

Giuseppe Pietrantuono

Kommentar

Discrimination in terms of group categories such as gender, social, or ethnic origin is a significant mechanism for the (re)production of social inequalities in increasingly pluralistic societies. This course aims to critically engage with the theoretical foundations, measurement, and international empirical literature on discrimination to assess policy measures better to reduce inequality.

The course is divided into three main parts. In the first part, the seminar offers a well-founded overview of sociological and social psychological theoretical approaches to the forms and causes of discrimination, such as the theory of preference-based discrimination (Becker 1957), the theory of statistical discrimination (Arrow 1973) or the social identity theory (Tajfel and Turner 1986). The second part focuses on the different methodological approaches to empirically investigate discrimination. The advantages and disadvantages of (a) the survey of perceived discrimination, (b) the statistical residual method and (c) field experiments (e.g. correspondence tests) are critically discussed. The third part focuses on reading international empirical literature, which examines discrimination concerning ethnic origin and gender in different areas of society, such as the housing market, the labour market, or the education system. The acquired theoretical and methodological knowledge of discrimination research will be deepened based on this empirical literature.

The seminar thus imparts knowledge and skills for the reflected use of general theoretical approaches and methodological approaches to studying discrimination. The students acquire the necessary competencies to independently develop and process questions on one of the currently most central topics in inequality research. Schließen