Lab: Data Analysis for the Study of Social Inequalities in a Comparative Perspective (a.a. 2024/25)

This laboratory is designed to give you hands-on experience with comparative data analysis. After a brief introduction to the theoretical framework that guides sociological research on social inequalities from a comparative perspective, we will explore publicly available data from national institutes, international organizations, and ad hoc collections.


The goal is to provide practical guidance on how to download, harmonize, and interpret comparative data from different sources. Depending on the prior knowledge of the participants, we will cover both basic statistical techniques (descriptive statistics and inferential methods) and more advanced approaches (2-step regressions &mixed models). While I will provide instruction in Stata, students with experience in other software are welcome to use their preferred tools.

This lab is also suitable for students working on their master’s thesis with a quantitative focus and those interested in a comparative perspective on social inequalities.


And about the course schedule here: 


Learning Objectives 

This lab focuses on analyzing social inequalities from a comparative perspective. Students participating in the lab will:

- Learn to interpret aggregate data within a comparative framework. 

- Become familiar with key measures used to describe data as well as measures of inequality. 

- Interpret aggregate (and possibly individual) data to extract meaningful insights and answer research questions about inequality from a comparative perspective. 

- Actively engage with data and analysis on a weekly basis. 

- Work on a final group research paper based on data and methods discussed in class. 

Expected Learning Outcomes 

By the end of the lab, students will be able to:

- Understand key debates about inequality in a comparative perspective. 

- Develop and investigate research questions that take a comparative approach. 

- Understand the relationship between aggregate and individual level data. 

- Reflect on the role of context in the analysis of social inequalities. 

- Conduct basic comparative analyses, recognizing the strengths and limitations of different methodological tools.