This August, several PSTC faculty affiliates, postdoctoral researchers, and current trainees attended the International Sociological Association Research Committee 28 Summer Conference (RC28), which was hosted by Brown University. Twice a year, RC28 brings together scholars from around the globe to share cutting-edge research on social stratification and social mobility. This summer’s conference was co-sponsored by the PSTC, Brown Department of Sociology, Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs’ China Initiative, and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform.

Almost 200 faculty and graduate students from 19 countries gathered together on Brown’s campus to exchange knowledge and attend presentations on various topics in social demography, social stratification and public policy. Whether it was studies of the effects of capital spending on students in California, the effects of childcare policies on parental behavior, the magnitude of gender and racial segregation in occupations, or rural-to-urban migration in China, this diverse exposure and collaboration fostered rigorous discussion among attendees.

PSTC Director Margot Jackson, Professor of Sociology Zhenchao Qian, and Professor of Sociology Emily Rauscher were the organizers of this year’s conference and were assisted by a committee of various PSTC members. For Emily Rauscher, “It was inspiring to see all these scholars come together to share knowledge about inequality” after participating in the planning of the event. Margot Jackson agreed saying, “It was exciting to see everything come together in person after months of thinking about it in a more abstract way.”

For the many graduate students in attendance, the conference provided an opportunity to forge professional connections and develop a deeper understanding of their fields. Sujung Lee, a predoctoral trainee in Sociology, had the chance to present her paper titled, “How the relationship between precarious employment conditions and workplace dignity varies across different welfare regimes in Europe.” Lee explains that her passion for social inequality arose in her first year at Brown, when she attended Sociology Department seminars and the PSTC weekly colloquia talks. “Attending the RC28 conference was a remarkably fascinating experience that allowed me to meet academics I’ve long admired and to receive invaluable feedback and encouragement from the audience,” Lee says. 

Zhenchao Qian, Sociologist and former Training Director of the PSTC, discusses the importance of this conference, “Inequality exists in many forms, and understanding its root causes is essential for developing policies to reduce it.” He focuses on migration and immigration as an example. “Migrants and immigrants often occupy the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy, encountering multiple dimensions of inequality, from economic hardship to social exclusion,” he says. “Research on the structural barriers and socioeconomic integrations of these groups is crucial for understanding their opportunities and challenges.”

Two keynote speakers discussed future directions for the field to a full and engaged auditorium. Sasha Killewald, a family demographer and professor at the University of Michigan, challenged researchers to think carefully about effect sizes and replication as they study topics with great relevance to public policy, such as the size of the motherhood wage penalty. And Adam Gamoran, President of the William T. Grant Foundation, challenged scholars studying social inequality to not stop at studies that focus on understanding patterns of inequality, but to invest in research designs and agendas that focus on “producing useful evidence that gets used:” that is, examining research questions that policymakers have an interest in understanding, and testing strategies for implementing that evidence in applied settings. 

Planning the conference took an enormous amount of time, but all agree it was well worth the effort. “Attending RC28 conferences is always an exciting opportunity to learn about the latest developments in the research community. Thanks to the generous support of its co-sponsors, as well as the participation of faculty, staff, and graduate students on campus, the conference was a huge success!” says Zhenchao Qian. 

Margot Jackson concurs. “RC28 is an active and highly international community of scholars that I have been fortunate to be a part of since my time as a graduate student–it was great to have the chance to contribute to the community by organizing this meeting along with Zhenchao Qian and Emily Rauscher,” she says. Emily Rauscher adds, “I'm especially grateful to four graduate students–Sarah Hodgman, Joyce Cao, Sujung Lee, and Macy Brammer, all PSTC trainees–who helped to ensure the conference ran smoothly.”  

Congratulations to all who participated in this exceptional opportunity for knowledge sharing and professional cooperation! To view the full listing of research presented at this summer’s RC28, take a look at the final program.