David Brady, Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for European Studies  

Office Location: 264 Soc/Psych Building
Office Phone: (919) 660-5760
Email Address: brady@soc.duke.edu

Areas of Expertise

  • International, Globalization
  • Social Policy, Poverty and Welfare

Education:
PhD, Sociology, Indiana University, 2001
Executive Training Program, London School of Economics, 1998
Certification: Higher Education and Pedagogy, Indiana University, 1997
MA, Sociology, Indiana University, 1997
BA, Sociology, Cum Laude, University of Minnesota, 1994
Spanish Proficiency, Forester Instituto Internacional, San Jose, Costa Rica, 1992

Research Categories: Poverty and Inequality, Globalization, Political Sociology, Labor and Work, Comparative/ Historical, Research Methods

Research Description: My research focuses on two broad themes: (1) the nature and sources of poverty and inequality; and (2) the relationships between institutions and economic globalization. These themes illustrate my interest in the three-way intersections between inequality, markets, and politics; and the fields of political and economic sociology, stratification, comparative/historical sociology, and research methods. My research utilizes both macro- and individual-levels of analyses, and examines both the U.S. and comparative-historical cases. Much of my research compares the affluent democracies of Western Europe and North America. Recently, I have also studied developing countries, including especially Latin America. I have conducted research on a variety of topics including globalization, welfare states, labor unions, deindustrialization, voting, development, poverty and inequality. Presently, my work is animated by the following broad questions: How do societies politically accomplish equality? What does this era of heightened globalization mean for the politics of and prospects for broadly shared well-being? How do global economic transformations shape political institutions and how do those institutions mediate the impact of such transformations? Finally, how does the state construct and influence economic action? I teach courses on research methods, poverty and stratification, and economic and political sociology. In addition, I am the Director of the Center for European Studies at Duke.

Teaching (Fall 2009):

  • Sociol 302.01, Workshop on sociol research
    Soc/psych 329, Tu 10:05 AM-12:35 PM

Recent Publications   (More Publications)

  1. Brady, David. Rich Democracies, Poor People: How Politics Explain Poverty. Oxford University Press, 2009. [pdf]
  2. Brady, David, Andrew S. Fullerton, and Jennifer Moren-Cross. "Putting Poverty in Political Context: A Multi-Level Analysis of Working-Aged Poverty Across 18 Affluent Western Democracies." Social Forces (Forthcoming).
  3. Brady, David, Benjamin Sosnaud, and Steven Frenk. "The Shifting and Diverging White Working Class in U.S. Presidential Elections, 1972-2004." Social Science Research 38 (2009): 118-133. [pdf]
  4. Brady, David, Yunus Kaya, and Jason Beckfield. "Reassessing the Effect of Economic Growth on Well-Being in Less Developed Countries, 1980-2003." Studies in Comparative International Development 42 (2007): 1-35. [pdf]
  5. Martin, Nathan and David Brady. "Workers of the Less Developed World Unite? A Multi-Level Analysis of Unionization in Less Developed Countries." American Sociological Review 72 (2007): 562-584. [pdf]

Curriculum Vitae

Highlight:
Poverty and Inequality Globalization Political Sociology Labor and Work Comparative/ Historical Research Methods

David Brady