IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/mes/jeciss/v58y2024i2p605-618.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Institutionalizing Inequality: Field Conditions, Institutional Belonging, and the Distribution of Identities

Author

Listed:
  • Nadia von Jacobi
  • Alex Nicholls

Abstract

The institutionalization of inequality represents an important research focus in various strands of the social sciences. Much theory has emerged within organizational studies and economic sociology, and within intersectionality research. However, there has, as yet been only limited work on the micro-processes by which institutions create and perpetuate inequality at the individual level. This article addresses this issue in terms of a new conceptual model that combines institutional theory on field conditions and Amartya Sen’s capability approach. We describe how inequality is institutionalized in terms of the distribution of identity positions and opportunities at the individual level. Specifically, we suggest that the institutionalization of inequality is a product of various types of institutional belonging that leads to (cumulated) disadvantaged identity positions for the individual. Our work connects Senian theory on conversion factors, multiple identities, and opportunity with established organization theory on fields and institutionalization processes to offer news insights into how patterns of inequality persist and may change.

Suggested Citation

  • Nadia von Jacobi & Alex Nicholls, 2024. "Institutionalizing Inequality: Field Conditions, Institutional Belonging, and the Distribution of Identities," Journal of Economic Issues, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 58(2), pages 605-618, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:mes:jeciss:v:58:y:2024:i:2:p:605-618
    DOI: 10.1080/00213624.2024.2344444
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/00213624.2024.2344444
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/00213624.2024.2344444?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:mes:jeciss:v:58:y:2024:i:2:p:605-618. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/MJEI20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.