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Faculty Bio

Thomas Hirschl

Thomas Hirschl

Professor of Development Sociology
Director, Population & Development Program
http://www.einaudi.cornell.edu/pdp/

333 Warren Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY 14853-7801
Email: tah4@cornell.edu
Phone: (607) 255-1688

Training

Ph.D. 1986 University of Wisconsin (Sociology)
M.S 1980 University of Wisconsin (Sociology)
B.S. 1976 Purdue University (Economics)

Areas of Interest

» social stratification
» research methods and statistics
» state and local demography

Research

My major scholarly objective is investigation of the proposition that social class is coming to the fore of contemporary societal development. Mark Rank and I propose a new method for measuring social class, and we have published a number of articles, with several more on the drawing board. Our motivation is that sociological debate about class, as well as empirical measurement of class, is inadequate. Hence we are developing a "life course" approach, partially inspired by Weber's definition of social class, "life chances."

Selected Publications

Hirschl, Thomas A. 2005. “On the empirical finding of a higher risk of poverty in rural areas: Is Rural Residence Endogenous to Poverty? Comment.” Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics 30:60-61.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2005. “The Likelihood of Using Food Stamps During the Adulthood Years.” Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 37:137-146.

Rank, Mark R., Hong-Sik Yoon and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2003. "American Poverty as a Structural Failing: Evidence and Arguments." Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare 30:3-29.

Hirschl, Thomas A., Joyce Altobelli and Mark R. Rank. 2003. "Does Marriage Increase the Odds of Affluence: Exploring the Life Course Probabilities." Journal of Marriage and Family 65:927-938.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2002. "Welfare Use as a Life Course Event: Toward a New Understanding of America's Safety Net." Social Work 47:237-248.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2001. "Rags or Riches: Estimating the Probabilities of Poverty and Affluence Across the Adult American Life Span." Social Science Quarterly 82:651-669.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2001. "The Measurement of Long Term Risks Across the Life Course." Social Science Quarterly 82: 680-686.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 2001. "The Occurrence of Poverty Across the Life Cycle: Evidence from the PSID." Journal of Policy Analysis & Management 20: 737-756.

Hirschl, Thomas A. and Mark R. Rank. 1999. "Community Effects on Welfare Participation." Sociological Forum 14: 155-174.

Rank, Mark R. and Thomas A. Hirschl. 1999. "The Economic Risk of Childhood in America: Estimating the Probability of Poverty Across the Formative Years." Journal of Marriage and the Family 61: 1058-1067.

Hirschl, Thomas A. and Tim B. Heaton (eds.). 1999. New York in the 21st Century. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Hirschl, Thomas A. 1997. Cutting Edge: Technology, Information Capitalism and Social Revolution. Verso.

(PhD, Wisconsin, l986) is amics related to technology and post-industrial societies. Dr. Hirschl has authored 29 refereed journal articles and book chapters, plus three books including