I. Precarious Work and the "New Economy"

Precarious work – work that is uncertain, unpredictable, or risky from the point of view of the worker – has become a cornerstone of the “new economy.” While the sociological literature has begun to address the consequences of the rise in precarious employment for workers and organizations, important gaps remain. My dissertation seeks to address the limitations in the extant literature by utilizing innovative methods and data to examine two central issues. First, the dissertation examines the impact of precarious employment histories – temporary employment, part-time work, skills underemployment, and unemployment – on workers’ future labor market outcomes. Second, I explore the consequences of employers’ use of contingent workers – a key form of precarious labor – for the outcomes of the full-time, permanent workers in those organizations. This research aims to more deeply understand the consequences of changing economic structures for key social outcomes and to identify the mechanisms through which those consequences operate.

II. The Mechanisms of Discrimination

Sociological research has convincingly demonstrated that black men face discrimination in the U.S. labor market. While significant qualitative and theoretical work has arisen to explain persistent racial discrimination, there is limited empirical work that tests these different explanatory mechanisms. In this project, I use experimental methods to test for the different mechanisms underlying discrimination faced by black men in the hiring process.

III. Racial Differences in Job Search Processes

With Dr. Devah Pager, I am currently involved in a research project that explores racial differences in the processes through which workers sort into particular industries, occupations, neighborhoods, and employers.

IV. The Consequences of Underemployment