Current projects

Wealth inequality in high-income countries has returned to levels not seen since the early twentieth century. Yet its effects on public life remain poorly understood. This project asks whether the widening gap between the very wealthy and everyone else is weakening the social bonds that democracies depend on. Rather than treating inequality as a distributional issue, the project develops a relational approach: not how much people own but how claims on economic resources shape economic life across the wealth distribution. From a comparative angle, the project examines how this distance affects how people relate to one another, to their institutions, and to the idea of a common society.

Recent studies have shown a demographic reversal in the association between income and fertility. What was a robust negative gradient throughout the twentieth century has begun to turn positive in many high-income countries. This project explores what that means for the long-term structure of inequality. If wealth and social status shape who has children (and how many), then inequality reproduces itself not just through inheritance but through demography. The project examines how fertility decisions are tied to income, wealth, intergenerational mobility, and the degree to which welfare states attenuate or reinforce these patterns.

Chile introduced free university tuition in 2016, intending to reduce socioeconomic gaps in higher education enrollment. Nearly a decade on, the evidence suggests the policy has had limited impact on the composition of who goes to university. This project asks why. A key part of the answer may lie in the timing of information, as students who could potentially qualify may not know it early enough for it to shape their expectations and preparation before the application process. This gap weighs more heavily on families with fewer resources and less familiarity with the university system. The project explores these questions through different methodological approaches.