Zach Parolin
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zparolin.bsky.social
Zach Parolin
@zparolin.bsky.social
2.7K followers 350 following 81 posts
Professor of Social Policy, Inequality, and Opportunity at University of Oxford. Director, Inequality Programme at INET Oxford. Professorial Fellow at Nuffield College.
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Reposted by Zach Parolin
morellisal.bsky.social
Are inequality researchers too concerned with the ultra-rich?
Proud to take part in the Atkinson Conference at Nuffield College (Oxford). On Sep 10, I’ll discuss with Mike Brewer moderated by Juliana de Castro Galvao.

Info: atkinsonconference.github.io
The Atkinson Conference on Economic and Social Inequality
A two-day interdisciplinary conference on economic and social inequality at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. 10–11 September 2026.
atkinsonconference.github.io
September 8, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
benansell.bsky.social
Just under 2 weeks til the closing date for the Assoc Prof in Law, Politics and Computational Social Science at Nuffield College and the University of Oxford. This is an amazing opportunity to be part of the Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods. Join us!

www.politics.ox.ac.uk/opportunity/...
Associate Professorship of Law, Politics and Computational Social Science (APNTF)
In association with Nuffield CollegePermanent upon completion of a successful review. The review isconducted during the first 5 years.
www.politics.ox.ac.uk
September 2, 2026 at 12:18 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
pengzell.bsky.social
Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER) and LIS Data Center are hiring a 3-year postdoc for work on public policy, welfare and socio-economic inequality.

Open to economics, sociology, pol sci and related disciplines.

Apply by Sep 15th: jobs.liser.lu/job/Esch-sur...
September 1, 2026 at 9:48 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
ophastings.bsky.social
How well can we predict which children will end up poor adults or rich adults? Or how much education they'll earn? In a new working paper, @zparolin.bsky.social and I show the predictability of life outcomes depends on the country and outcome.

www.inet.ox.ac.uk/publications...

Highlights below! 🧵👇
Title: Rags or Riches? Predicting Life Outcomes from the Birth Lottery Across Five High-Income Countries Authors: Orestes P. Hastings and Zach Parolin Abstract: The stratification of life outcomes is a central concern of sociology, but to what extent can adult outcomes be predicted from childhood circumstances? Although decades of research have identified important family and socioeconomic factors associated with mobility and attainment, these models explain only a modest share of individual variation in outcomes. Using harmonized longitudinal data from the Cross-National Equivalent Files (CNEF) and an ensemble of machine-learning models, we estimate the predictability of adult outcomes in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and South Korea. Predictability varies substantially across outcomes and national contexts: educational attainment is more predictable than economic outcomes, poverty is far more predictable in the U.S., and income mobility is substantially less predictable than overall attainment outcomes. Additional U.S. analyses show that adding race, wealth, parental incarceration, and other variables improves predictions only slightly. We further show that predictability captures a distinct dimension of stratification not fully captured in other traditional measures of mobility, inequality, and opportunity. Together, these findings provide new insights into where and how the birth lottery most strongly shapes life chances.
August 31, 2026 at 4:19 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
laurenhlb.bsky.social
New analysis from me & Diane Schanzenbach, possibly my favorite piece ever:

We study the SNAP payment error rate and explain why tying how much a state will have to contribute toward SNAP payments to its PER is inherently empirically unstable. Remand.

www.hamiltonproject.org/publication/...
A policy that could cause states to drop out of the SNAP program due to chance should not be left to chance. SNAP should be fully federally funded. Figure 3 shows confidence intervals around the point estimates for a states SNAP payment error rate in FY2023. The confidence intervals are larger than the bins.
August 25, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
rnieuwenhuis.bsky.social
No child poverty in Sweden? Think again!

We found big differences in poverty rates, poverty gaps and poverty buffers between children of Swedish-born and foreign-born parents.

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

With @siddarthaaradhya.bsky.social and @rafgrotti.bsky.social
August 17, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
benansell.bsky.social
Very very upset at the University of Cambridge higher ups. I don’t think their remaining in situ given this week - in court and with Arday - is remotely tenable.
August 14, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
ewabatyra.bsky.social
Job alert! 📣 I’m recruiting a 3-year postdoc for my ERC Stg project DIVREP, which examines within-country variation in reproductive behaviour and its determinants across the globe. 🗓️ Deadline: 16 September 2026

www.sociology.ox.ac.uk/events/postd...

Please share and apply!
Postdoctoral Research Associate in Demography
Closing Date: 12.00pm Wednesday 16th September 2026
www.sociology.ox.ac.uk
July 30, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
ophastings.bsky.social
Feeling deprived of academic talks over the summer? This Thursday I'm presenting new work with @zparolin.bsky.social for the Oxford Metrics & Models seminar. Online talk and all are welcome! 2pm Oxford time, 7am Colorado time. Happy to share the MS Teams link with you.

metrics-and-models.github.io
Talk Title: Rags or Riches? Predicting Life Outcomes from the Birth Lottery Across Five High-Income Countries Abstract: Stratification in life outcomes is a central concern of sociology, but to what extent can adult outcomes be predicted from childhood circumstances? Although decades of research have identified important family and socioeconomic factors associated with mobility and attainment, these models explain only a modest share of individual variation in outcomes. Using harmonized longitudinal data from the Cross-National Equivalent Files (CNEF) and an ensemble of machine-learning models applied to a common set of childhood characteristics, we estimate the predictability of adult outcomes in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, and South Korea. Predictability varies substantially across outcomes and national contexts: educational attainment is the most predictable in general, poverty is far more predictable in the U.S. than other countries, and income mobility is substantially less predictable than overall attainment outcomes. In additional analyses with the U.S., adding more variables including race, wealth, and parental incarceration improves predictions only slightly. We further show that predictability captures a distinct dimension of stratification that is not fully captured in other traditional measures of mobility, inequality, and opportunity. Together, these findings provide new insights into where and how the birth lottery most strongly shapes life chances. Bio: Pat Hastings is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Colorado State University. He studies parenting, childhood, inequality, and social mobility with quantitative and computational methods.
July 21, 2026 at 5:35 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
lukaslehner.bsky.social
#Walmart #Supercenter openings are associated with a 2.2 percentage point (18%) rise in #poverty, and the increase persists for at least a decade.

Our article is now published in #LabourEconomics, with @zparolin.bsky.social, Clemente Pignatti & Rafael Pintro-Schmitt.
July 6, 2026 at 7:43 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
nuffieldlibrary.bsky.social
Power and poverty: The distributional consequences of Walmart Supercenter openings
doi.org/10.1016/j.la...
Paper in Labour Economics by Lukas Lehner, @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Fellow @zparolin.bsky.social, Clemente Pignatti and Rafael Pintro Schmitt
July 2, 2026 at 2:05 PM
zparolin.bsky.social
With @joshuachoper.bsky.social & @lukaslehner.bsky.social in the American Sociological Review, we ask: What happens to organized labor when Walmart Supercenters enter a local labor market? Broadly, how do worker power and buyer power interact to shape inequality? journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
May 27, 2026 at 12:04 PM
zparolin.bsky.social
TODAY! ▶️"The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy: A Discussion with the European Commission and an Expert Panel." 2pm UK / 3pm CEST via Zoom as part of the INET Oxford Inequality Working Group. Join us to to discuss the Commission's new strategy to reduce poverty in the EU. www.inet.ox.ac.uk/events/the-e...
The EU Anti-Poverty Strategy: A Discussion with the European…
Afterward, two experts in European social policy – Bea Cantillon and Amílcar Moreira – will join Vila Nuñez for a discussion of the strategy. He…
www.inet.ox.ac.uk
May 26, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
sbeduk.bsky.social
Last week to apply!

It's shaping up to be an exciting event on inequality, bringing together perspectives across disciplines and beyond academia.

Researchers, policy experts, civil servants and others working on inequality are all welcome.
zparolin.bsky.social Zach Parolin @zparolin.bsky.social · Apr 22
The Atkinson Conference on Economic and Social Inequality will take place on 10-11 September at Nuffield College (Oxford).

▶️Plenaries: Philippe Aghion, Janet Gornick & roundable moderated by FT's Sarah O'Connor.

🚩CfP Deadline: 22 May.

Join us in Oxford! Details here: atkinsonconference.github.io
The Atkinson Conference on Economic and Social Inequality
A two-day interdisciplinary conference on economic and social inequality at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. 10–11 September 2026.
atkinsonconference.github.io
May 18, 2026 at 12:32 PM
zparolin.bsky.social
The Atkinson Conference on Economic and Social Inequality will take place on 10-11 September at Nuffield College (Oxford).

▶️Plenaries: Philippe Aghion, Janet Gornick & roundable moderated by FT's Sarah O'Connor.

🚩CfP Deadline: 22 May.

Join us in Oxford! Details here: atkinsonconference.github.io
The Atkinson Conference on Economic and Social Inequality
A two-day interdisciplinary conference on economic and social inequality at Nuffield College, University of Oxford. 10–11 September 2026.
atkinsonconference.github.io
April 22, 2026 at 8:13 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
pengzell.bsky.social
A postdoc position is now available in my project Markets and Mobility: How Employers Structure Economic Opportunity. Start date flexible within the next 12 months, apply by 9 May.

www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...
UCL – University College London
UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).
www.ucl.ac.uk
April 8, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
benansell.bsky.social
📣 New job at Oxford's Centre for Advanced Social Science Methods (CASSM)! 📣

The Departments of Politics & IR (DPIR) and Social Policy and Intervention (DSPI) are hiring an Associate Professor of Causal and Experimental Methods.

Come work with me and amazing Oxford peeps! Deadline NOON April 27th.
Associate Professorship of Causal and Experimental Methods in Politics and Social Policy
University salary from £58,265 - £77,645 per annum which is inclusive of an Oxford University Weighting of £1,730 p.aPermanent upon completion of a successful review. The review is conducted during th...
www.politics.ox.ac.uk
March 24, 2026 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
lukaslehner.bsky.social
Join us today online for Alexandra Roulet's talk on "Making Labor Markets Work for Workers and Businesses", hosted by @zparolin.bsky.social @inetoxford.bsky.social @oxmartinschool.bsky.social.

I'll be moderating the event and look forward to a vibrant discussion.

www.inet.ox.ac.uk/events/makin...
March 17, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
dirkwitteveen.bsky.social
📢 In this Social Forces article, I introduce occupational elitism as a novel measure of social closure: the share of upper-class background workers within an occupation.

Its consequences for earnings stratification can be examined using a social closure theory lens.

🔓 doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
February 19, 2026 at 10:13 PM
zparolin.bsky.social
On Feb 17, our @inetoxford.bsky.social team will launch the INET Oxford Inequality Working Group, an online seminar series that invites discussion on inequality and public policy. Our first speaker: @drodrik.bsky.social presents his new book. Details & registration: www.inet.ox.ac.uk/events/share...
Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World
Dani Rodrik of Harvard University will present his new book, "Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World: A New Economics for the Middle Class, the Global…
www.inet.ox.ac.uk
February 3, 2026 at 2:46 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
pculpepper.bsky.social
Billionaire Backlash is published today! (If you are in the US, this is a teaser -- out March 17 there). I had a fantastic conversation about the book with @hugorifkind.bsky.social from Times Radio yesterday. Link below (interview starts at about 50:30). Or join us for the launch in Oxford tonight.
January 29, 2026 at 10:28 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
joshuachoper.bsky.social
My new article, now online @sfjournal.bsky.social, examines trends in Black-White inequality by gender in earnings losses among displaced workers. Lost earnings premia, disadvantageous re-sorting, and statistical discrimination play distinct roles in shaping inequality. doi.org/10.1093/sf/s...
January 27, 2026 at 10:17 AM
zparolin.bsky.social
I'm hiring a post-doctoral researcher to join us at the University of Oxford and our @inetoxford.bsky.social Inequality team. Ideal candidate has experience in the fields of inequality, social mobility, and/or public policy. We can sponsor visas for non-UK applicants. www.inet.ox.ac.uk/vacancies
Vacancies
Jobs and Vacancies at INET Oxford, The Institute for New Economic Thinking at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
www.inet.ox.ac.uk
January 21, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
davidbroska.bsky.social
First day of my research visit at Oxford! Many thanks to @zparolin.bsky.social for the generous invitation.

I’ll be presenting on simulating human behavior with LLMs on Jan 28 at the @nuffieldcollege.bsky.social Sociology Seminar.

If you’ll be around Oxford, feel free to reach out!
January 19, 2026 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Zach Parolin
garritzmannj.bsky.social
we have 5 positions open at @goetheuni.bsky.social in Frankfurt
- a 4,5 year postdoc in my @erc.europa.eu project on the educational cleavage
- 2 postdoc & 2 PhD positions, 4 years, in a research group on Reconfiguration & Internalization of Social Structure

www.uni-frankfurt.de/48794784/FB0...
Goethe-Universität — FB03 - Gesellschaftswissenschaften
Die Goethe-Universität ist eine forschungsstarke Hochschule in der europäischen Finanzmetropole Frankfurt. Lebendig, urban und weltoffen besitzt sie als Stiftungsuniversität ein einzigartiges Maß an E...
www.uni-frankfurt.de
December 17, 2025 at 10:43 AM