[Publication] “Everyday conversations about economic inequality: A research agenda.”

High and rising levels of economic inequality come at tremendous cost for societies, yet the public is often hesitant to confront these inequalities. Prior research has tried to explain this paradox, pointing to how it is driven by individuals’ misperceptions of the extent of inequality, broader narratives that justify inequality, and distrust in government intervention and redistribution. These beliefs and attitudes are not simply a reflection of individual predispositions, they are also the product of societal debates. The limited scholarship on such debates has focused on elite discourse, examining how discussions about inequality unfold among people in positions of power, such as those in parliament or the media. Most such research has been situated in the Global North. We know very little about how ordinary people talk about economic inequality, especially in the Global South. Everyday conversations about economic inequality deserve more scholarly attention because of their distinct form and extensive range, covering diverse voices and social situations. They reflect how societies struggle with economic inequality and how some groups are silenced, while others have their voices amplified. Finally, conversations may affect opinion formation in different ways than one-directional exposure to information. This article reviews the literature and sets out a research agenda to comprehensively study how ordinary people talk about economic inequality in a variety of contexts.

Schieferdecker, D., Reinhardt, S., Mijs, J., Moraes Silva, G., Teeger, C., Carvalhaes, F., & Seekings, J. (2024). Everyday conversations about economic inequality: A research agenda. Sociology Compass, 18, e70001. doi.org/10.1111/soc4.70001

[Op-Ed] “O que os brasileiros pensam sobre a desigualdade? [What do Brazilians think about inequality?]”

Carvalhaes, F., López, M., Moraes Silva, G., Reis, E. (2024, June 13). O que os brasileiros pensam sobre a desigualdade? [What do Brazilians think about inequality?]. Folha de São Paulo. https://folha.com/s4or7xmt

[Talk] “How wealth inequality is (re-)produced in everyday conversations? An invitation to brainstorm.”

Schieferdecker, D. (2023). How wealth inequality is (re-)produced in everyday conversations? An invitation to brainstorm. Workshop at the Department for Communication of the University Vienna, Vienna.