Book chapter
Cumulative advantage
Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology, pp.286-307
Research Handbooks in Sociology series, Edward Elgar Publishing
12/14/2021
DOI: 10.4337/9781789906851.00023
Abstract
That one actor’s advantage over another can compound over time resonates deeply in the social sciences, and empirical research documents the existence of cumulative advantage in a vast array of settings for both monetary and non-monetary awards. Pushing forward, and in the spirit of analytical sociology, this chapter examines cumulative advantage from the perspective of patterns and generative mechanisms. First. cumulative advantage is a dynamic process pertaining not to the trajectory of a single actor but rather heterogeneity in trajectories within a group of actors. The pattern of heterogeneity is the product of (1) constant versus variable rates of growth, (2) incremental versus discrete shifts in trajectories, and (3) decoupling versus mere exaggeration. Second, we discuss five fundamental mechanisms that, even if operating in isolation, could fuel cumulative (dis)advantage: variation in initial endowments, system-imposed constraints, audience valuation, self-selection, and randomness. We conclude with next-generation questions for cumulative advantage research.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Cumulative advantage
- Creators
- Freda B. LynnHannah W. Espy
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
- Publication Details
- Research Handbook on Analytical Sociology, pp.286-307
- Series
- Research Handbooks in Sociology series
- DOI
- 10.4337/9781789906851.00023
- Publisher
- Edward Elgar Publishing
- Number of pages
- 22
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 12/14/2021
- Academic Unit
- Sociology and Criminology
- Record Identifier
- 9984306344702771
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