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Networks, Diffusion and Inequality
November 16, 2018 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
On Friday, November 16th, Filiz Garip, PhD, will present Networks, Diffusion and Inequality as part of the Carolina Population Center 2018-2019 Interdisciplinary Research Seminar series. Garip is a Professor of Sociology at Cornell University. She is affiliated with the Center for the Study of Inequality and the Center for Population Research at Cornell. Her research lies at the intersection of migration, economic sociology and inequality.
Garip is hosted by Carolina Population Center Fellow Barbara Entwisle. Entwisle is the Kenan Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She served as CPC Director for eight years (2002-2010) and as CPC’s Training Program Director for six of those years (2002-2008). Entwisle has resumed her role as CPC’s Training Director (2017-date). Entwisle studies social context and demographic and health behavior and outcomes.
PRESENTATION ABSTRACT
Prior work defines network externalities (where the value of a practice is a function of network alters that have already adopted the practice) as a mechanism exacerbating social inequality under the condition of homophily (where advantaged individuals poised to be primary adopters are socially connected to other advantaged individuals). This work does not consider consolidation (correlation between traits), a population parameter that is essential to network formation and diffusion. Using a computational model, we first show that prior findings linking homophily to segregated social ties and to differential diffusion outcomes are contingent on high levels of consolidation. Homophily, under low consolidation, is not sufficient to exacerbate existing differences in adoption probabilities across groups, and can even end up alleviating inter-group inequality by facilitating diffusion. We then apply this idea to the empirical case of Mexico-U.S. migration. We show that homophily and consolidation allow us to capture the structural constraints to diffusion, and explain why some newly-emerging migrant communities eventually come to surpass historic migrant regions in levels of migration.
Curriculum Vita (PDF)
Instructors: To arrange for class attendance, contact Kate Allison (akalliso@email.unc.edu) by the Monday before the seminar
Streaming may be available and must be arranged at least one week in advance.
This seminar is part of the Carolina Population Center’s Interdisciplinary Research Seminar Series.