Specialization in Social and Economic Inequality

The study of social and economic inequality is one of the cornerstones of the Harris School of Public Policy. The goal of this specialization is to introduce students to modern theories of inequality and the empirical study of those theories. Topics include early childhood sources of income inequality, discrimination in the labor market and in other institutions, segregation in housing markets, the impact of migration on the measurement of inequality, and the roles of peer effects.

Application Process

The specialization is open to Harris Public Policy graduate students only. Please indicate your intent to pursue this specialization using the Harris Specialization Declaration Form.

For specialization registration questions, please reach out to harrisregistration@uchicago.edu.

Planning for the Specialization

For information on which quarter(s) each course will be offered, see the Harris Courses page and filter by specialization. 

Specialization Requirements

The specialization requires completion of at least two courses from the “Required courses” list, along with two additional courses that come from either the “Required courses” list or the “Elective courses” list (four courses total). No required course substitutions are allowed.

Students must achieve at least a B- grade in each course.  No course may be taken on a pass/fail basis. The courses do not need to be taken in a particular order.

Pick Two Required Courses

• PPHA 33215 Poverty and Public Policy
• PPHA 34241 Household Finance: Theory and Applications
• PPHA 37910 Race and Ethnic Differences in Health: Epidemiology, Behavior, and Policy
• PPHA 39450 What We Know About Income Inequality
• PPHA 40700 Early Childhood: Human Capital Development and Public Policy
• PPHA 41740 Gender and Policy
• ECON 34930 / PPHA 33230 Inequality: Theory, Methods and Evidence

Elective Courses

• PPHA 30602 Child and Family Policy and Research 
• PPHA 35240 Education, Inequality and Economic Development
• PPHA 38715 Housing Policy in the United States 
• PPHA 60000 Policy Labs (with permission of the Specialization Director)

Specialization Contact

Dan Black, Specialization Director