Understanding Social Inequality: Modeling Allocation Processes

Inequality in society is a key factor that drives sociological study. However, a major theoretical gap still exists in the literature of social inequality and stratification processes. There is no better qualified sociologist than the late Hubert Blalock to fill this gap. In this provocative volume, Blalock constructs a set of delimited theories and causal models of some of the social processes that have been responsible for producing important types of social inequalities. According to Blalock, sociological understanding of the processes leading to inequality are overly simplistic. Generally, these processes are merely shown as the rich and powerful allocating resources to keep themselves rich and powerful, further disenfranchising the weak and powerless. Blalock contends that the processes of allocating resources are far more complex, involving complicated actions, reactions, and feedback by all of those involved. He builds a theoretical model of these processes to clarify how resources are allocated in society and how the accumulation of many individual-level decisions ultimately lead to stratification in society. This important, acclaimed volume, of interest to both macro- and micro-level social scientists, builds on much of Blalock's previous work, including his studies of power and the failings of research methods. Understanding Social Inequality was Hubert Blalock's final book. He passed away shortly after completion of the manuscript. "This book is an ambitious attempt to create a rich theoretical model of the allocation processes that lead to social inequality. . . . The model is appealingly detailed and realistic. . . . The value of an overarching model of allocation satisfying Blalock's requirements seems evident; the challenge of constructing a consistent, formal, and well-grounded model remains. We are indebted to Blalock for his determined attention to the problem to be solved and for inspiration to tackle the complexities. His book suggests a standard of specificity and completeness for sociological explanations of inequality that is hard to meet but is worth striving for." --Pacific AffairsBlalock, Hubert M. is the author of 'Understanding Social Inequality: Modeling Allocation Processes', published 1991 under ISBN 9780803943407 and ISBN 0803943407.