2019 Conference and Promising Directions for New Research

In April 2019, the Tobin Project held an interdisciplinary conference of nearly fifty psychologists, sociologists, economists, and other social scientists to address the state of research on inequality and decision making. Building upon the work that has emerged in the past several years, scholars gathered to address what unanswered questions need to be addressed in order to demonstrate clear links between changes in inequality and individual behavior, and what research would illuminate the potential consequences of these behavioral effects for our economy, society, and democracy?

Over the course of these discussions, scholars identified a number of areas that would benefit from further research. The questions below synthesize their insights. The Tobin Project hopes that they can be a resource to other scholars and graduate students interested in advancing knowledge on economic inequality’s effects. The questions are divided into six categories based on panel discussions that occurred at the conference. Stylized literature reviews on each topic prepared in advance of the meeting are also reproduced below.