Globalization is cited for good or ill as a major driver of most current processes of social change, but few people have put much thought into how it should be measured. I am currently revising the paper I presented on the topic at the 2007 meeting of the American Sociological Association. Comments are invited:

• ASA Paper

• ASA Presentation

Quantitative Methodology

I am quite skeptical of the statistical significance levels claimed for much of what I see published in quantitative cross-national sociology. My instinct is that too often models are custom-tailored to bring about the desired results. I am currently at work on two papers that are highly critical of widely used methods (working papers available on request):

• Data and Models for Quantitative Macro-Comparative Research

• The Ordinal-Interval Problem and Formal Goodness-of-Fit Testing for Structural Equation Models

The central problem facing the world in the 21st century is one held over from the 20th: the problem of development. All of the other major challenges facing humanity -- including global governance, nuclear proliferation, and global warming -- are rooted in development. Standing on the shoulders of my dissertation advisors Chris Chase-Dunn and Giovanni Arrighi, I embrace a world-systems approach to understanding the problem. My own efforts have mainly been focused on describing and explaining structures of income stratification in the modern world-economy.

Inequality and Health

Inspired by psychiatrist Ken Thompson and sociologist John Marx of the University of Pittsburgh, I began applying political economics approaches to the study of population health. Samples of my current thinking on the subject appear below. Comments are invited:

• TASA Paper

• S&SP Honours Presentation