Alison Colchado

Allison Bocchino

Income Inequality in Sociology and Economics

Writing 2
 Income Inequality in Sociology and Economics

In our modern age, copious amounts of inequalities of the world are surfacing. One in

particular is that of income inequality. This issue is characterized by a notable difference in the

earnings of one group in contrast with another. As it is an issue that many individuals find

themselves struggling with, there are many ways to go about addressing it; this is in regards to

who this inequality is truly affecting and what causes it. Nonetheless, the root issue is that there

is​ such notable inequality; simply the existence of such a sizable difference in people’s incomes

is a cause for concern. Of all the people working to close the gap, both sociologists and

economists contribute significant efforts. Although they share a common goal, they work

towards achieving it in different ways. They view the issue through different lenses as a result of

their disciplines. Economists view it numerically; they study the data and search for useful

patterns. Sociologists look at it as an issue that calls for social reform. The tone of an economist's

paper differs from that of a sociologist’s despite the fact that they are writing about the exact

same issue. It is in the writing that the reader can identify what conventions and evidence each

author values. This is evident when looking at Bruce Meyer and James Sullivan’s article,

“Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great Recession”, alongside Sean Reardon and

Kendra Bischoff’s “Income Inequality and Income Segregation”. Through analysis of these

articles, it becomes clear that the authors’ disciplinary interests are what guide them in writing.

The​ American Economic Review​ published Bruce Meyer and James Sullivan’s article,

“Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great Recession”. This piece explores the ways

consumption and income inequality changed since 2000 and whether these changes are related to

each other. “Consumption and Income Inequality” delves into the issue that is income inequality.
This academic article is mostly intrigued by the numerical aspects of this concern. More

precisely, it is interested in numerical patterns; patterns of fluctuations in income of distinct

groups, patterns unique to certain groups of people, certain geographic areas, etc.1 With that

being the focus of the article, it determines what kind of diction the author will use. The

language consists of a concrete amount of jargon. This can be explained by the fact that these

scholarly articles are written for a more specific audience than the general public. This is present

when they write, “we focus on the 90.10 ratio rather than the variance of the logarithm or the

Gini coefficient because the ratios are not sensitive to the extreme tail of the distribution…”

referring to calculations they made.2 Terms such as the Gini coefficient are not common

language. Another instance of the utilization of specialized language is when the authors state

that they found “that between 2006 and 2011 consumption rose slightly for the lowest asset

quintile, while it fell for the top three”.3 The jargon used in this article is not as self-explanatory

as its sociological counterpart. It’s clear that this article is written as a conversational piece

intended for other economists to understand and consider.

Sean Reardon and Kendra Bischoff’s article, “Income Inequality and Income

Segregation” is centered around the growth of income inequality from the year 1970 to 2000 and

its effects. This article represents a sociological view on the matter. Particularly, it is invested in

how this growth affects patterns of this concept. Although income inequality and income

segregation may appear to be synonymous, they differ notably and cannot be used

interchangeably. The article states that, “income inequality ​affects​ income segregation…”; it

1
Meyer, Bruce, and James Sullivan. "Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great Recession." ​American
Economic Review​ 103, no. 3 (2013): 179.
2
​Meyer, Bruce and James Sullivan 180
3
​Meyer, Bruce, and James Sullivan 182
even refers to income segregation as a phenomenon.4 This supports the claim that income

segregation is a larger issue to which income inequality can contribute considerably and even

isolate homes from each other based on their income.5 With this in mind, it is important to think

about the purpose throughout the whole piece. The authors write this article objectively yet they

manage to explicitly convey the magnitude of this “phenomenon”. As a result of both the

objective and academic nature of the article, there is a certain vocabulary the authors use to piece

it together and communicate their ideas. As one considers the different elements of a piece, the

vocabulary decreases in size. Moreover, if we identify the academic discipline the article pertains

to, we find that the range of words available to the author decreases yet again. As a sociological

article (one published in the American Journal of Sociology), there are certain words and phrases

within it that are characteristic of the identified discipline. This jargon is prominent when the

authors state that the NSI and similar measures “improve on categorical measures of income

segregation because they don’t rely on arbitrary and changing dichotomizations of income

distributions…”6 This refers to the fact that these measures are seen as superior to others as they

approach it coherently and distinctly. Sociological jargon like this is scattered generously in this

article. They also mention concepts such as racial disparity and structural violence. These are

two concepts that are quite prominent in sociology, but the public is not generally familiar with

them. The way in which the article is written, though, makes it so the information being

communicated is still decipherable. The jargon used in this academic article indicates that it is

written from a sociological standpoint.

4
​Reardon, Sean F., and Kendra Bischoff. "Income Inequality and Income Segregation 1." ​American
Journal of Sociology​ 116, no. 4 (2011): 1092-1153.
5
Reardon, Sean F., and Kendra Bischoff 1093
6
Reardon, Sean F., and Kendra Bischoff 1109
 The authors’ word choice in an article has a huge effect on its impact and the way it is

interpreted by its readers. English happens to be a language that provides a variety of ways to

convey the same idea; each with differing effects and some more impactful than others. That

being said, it is up to the authors to consider how they want their text to be perceived. By its

nature, this sociologically-oriented article is meant to call for change or action. This motive is

reflected in the writing. The authors opt for colorful words that communicate the effects of

income inequality on income segregation. On a similar note, sentence structure also plays a key

role in the way this piece is delivered. Sometimes, a shorter sentence may be more useful than a

lengthy sentence. Often, juxtaposition of these different sentences can be more effective than

either of them alone. Each aspect of structure is dependent upon the purpose the authors have

and the way they wish to deliver their information. An author’s syntax along with their word

choice can determine just how effectively they communicate their message.

The two articles vary from each other quite notably in the way they are structured. For

one, the Sullivan and Meyer article is significantly shorter than the Reardon and Bischoff article.

This may be tied to the fact that sociology is concept-oriented while economics are

number-oriented. Aside from their distinctions in length, the structure of the two distinct

academic articles are also unique to each piece. The economists’ article is organized in headings

and subheadings making it easy to follow. As it is a rather short piece, there are only a few

graphic aids. Despite a lack of many, these graphic aids help the reader to conceptualize the data

that is being provided. That data becomes more concrete as a result making it a visual source of

information. Parallel to this, the sociologists’ article incorporates graphs into its work. Yet, it

differs in that it also includes charts which are yet another way to synthesize the data they are
trying to communicate. It appears that the amount of information that has to be shared affects the

use of distinct visual aids. These structural differences give insight to the intentions of each

piece. The “Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great Recession” is shorter in length

because it is significantly less wordy. This is due to sociology and economics differing from each

other in their expression of information. Economics deals with numbers whereas sociology

writes about issues and concepts that call for social reform. This translates onto their pages as the

information is condensed and conveyed. The structural differences support that the two articles

serve distinct purposes.

Income inequality is a pressing issue calling attention globally. Sociologists and

economists have researched and assessed the issue in their distinct ways as presented in “Income

Inequality and Segregation” by Sean Reardon and Kendra Bischoff and “Consumption and

Income Inequality and the Great Recession” by Bruce Meyer and James Sullivan. The way these

two articles present their findings is unique to each discipline with some overlap. The similarities

in structure could be due to the fact that they are both scholarly articles written in hopes to share

their findings with ​their​ peers. Although they have similar outlines, the content within these two

articles varies greatly. The sociologists’ article is more concerned with reform while the

economists’ article is more geared towards sharing the data and expressing the patterns of

income inequality. Through word choice, organization, and distinct uses and combinations of

conventions, these two articles clearly represent the different ways sociologists and economists

write about income inequality.

Meyer, Bruce, and James Sullivan. "Consumption and Income Inequality and the Great
Recession." ​American Economic Review​ 103, no. 3 (2013): 178-83.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/23469725

Reardon, Sean F., and Kendra Bischoff. "Income Inequality and Income Segregation 1."
American Journal of Sociology​ 116, no. 4 (2011): 1092-153.
https://doi.org/10.1086/657114