Income inequality in the U.S. has reached unprecedented levels, poverty remains extreme, and racial and gender inequalities are intransigent. Why is there so much inequality and poverty? How might they be reduced? Find out from the country’s top scholars in our free open online course on poverty and inequality. The course, developed in 2016, is offered through edX and the course videos are listed below.

Income Inequality

• The Takeoff in Income Inequality: Emmanuel Saez
• The Race Between Education and Technology: Lawrence Katz
• The Winner-Take-All Economy: Robert Frank
• Deunionization: Bruce Western
• How Much Inequality Is Too Much?: Richard Freeman

The Experience of Poverty

• U.S. Poverty in Perspective: Sheldon Danziger
• Living in Poverty: Kathryn Edin
• Poor Neighborhoods: Robert Sampson
• Unequal Childhoods: Annette Lareau
• Unstable Housing: Matthew Desmond
• Having Children in Poverty: Kathryn Edin

The Causes of Poverty

• Childhood Development: Jack Shonkoff
• Early Childhood Intervention: James Heckman
• Neighborhoods and Multi-Generational Effects: Patrick Sharkey
• Labor Markets and Recession: Ann Stevens

Educational Access

• The Rise in the Income Achievement Gap: Sean Reardon
• Gaps in Educational Attainment: Richard Breen
• The Slowdown in Higher Education: Michael Hout
• Psychological Intervention: Carol Dweck

Education Outcomes

• What Influences Student Learning?: Richard Arum
• Is a College Degree Still the Great Equalizer?: Florencia Torche
• Is There a Pay-Off to For-Profit Colleges?: David Harding
• Training the Elite: Shamus Khan

Social Mobility and Jobs

• Current Trends in Social Mobility: Raj Chetty
• Social Networks and Getting a Job: Mark Granovetter
• The Great Risk Shift: Jacob Hacker
• Job Training: Harry Holzer

Gender Inequality

• The Stall in Gender Equality: Paula England
• Gender Discrimination in the Labor Market: Cecilia Rouse
• The Second Shift: Arlie Hochschild
• Do Women Opt Out of the Labor Force?: Christine Percheski
• Microdynamics of Gender Inequality: Cecilia Ridgeway

Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration

• Segregation in the U.S.: Douglas Massey
• Joblessness and Poor Neighborhoods: William Julius Wilson
• Race and Incarceration: Becky Pettit
• Race, Employment and a Criminal Record: Devah Pager
• The Social Construction of Race: Aliya Saperstein
• Mexican Immigration Replenishment: Tomas Jimenez
• Immigrant Communities and Social Mobility: Alejandro Portes

Bonus

• Social Inequality and Network Effects: Filiz Garip

See the references cited in course modules.