What theoretical traditions underpin the study of social inequality? How do they manifest in the study of different aspects of inequality? Explain each and make a case for which one you think is best suited.

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The Answer is This is an expansive question, but ultimately students will resolve the answer into a duality. Approaches to inequality tend to fall into either a rational choice/economics approach or into a conflict/society approach. The rational choice approach is individual-based and assumes a rational, purposeful acting agent. In contrast, the Marxian and "social" approach is more concerned with the effects (and to some extent) the causes of class membership for social groups. Examples that students should cite of these approaches in more applied analyses of inequality should include human capital theory, the study of educational choices and educational attainment, value-attribution theory, and the natural equalization approaches. The "social" approaches that are influenced to a great extent by Marx include: the rise of the precariat as a new social class in post-industrial society, the life-course perspective, the effects of cultural capital in the educational system, the effects of class on aspirations, the class/gender causality issue, the social determinants of health, the working-class authoritarianism thesis, and studies of dominant ideology.

What Theoretical Traditions Underpin the Study of Social Inequality? How