• DOI:10.1146/ANNUREV.SOC.32.061604.123127
Corpus ID: 7241018

Cumulative Advantage as a Mechanism for Inequality: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Developments

@article{Diprete2006CumulativeAA,
  title={Cumulative Advantage as a Mechanism for Inequality: A Review of Theoretical and Empirical Developments},
  author={Thomas A. Diprete and Gregory M. Eirich},
  journal={Review of Sociology},
  year={2006},
  volume={32},
  pages={271-297}
}

• Thomas A. Diprete, Gregory M. Eirich
• Published 2006
• Economics
• Review of Sociology

Although originally developed by R.K. Merton to explain advancement in scientific careers, cumulative advantage is a general mechanism for inequality across any temporal process (e.g., life course, family generations) in which a favorable relative position becomes a resource that produces further relative gains. This review shows that the term cumulative advantage has developed multiple meanings in the sociological literature. We distinguish between these alternative forms, discuss mechanisms… Expand

View via Publisher

columbia.edu

Save to Library

Create Alert

Cite

Launch Research Feed