Stephen Benard

Research & Teaching Interests:

Introduction

I am an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University. In my research, I use social psychology and social networks to develop and test theories addressing the dynamics of conflict and the persistence of inequality. For more details, please feel free to view my CV or contact me.

Conflict, Norms, and Hierarchies

In an NSF-funded line of research, I examine a fundamental sociological question: how does conflict between groups affect relations within groups? I develop theoretical arguments specifying the conditions under which groups in conflict will develop stricter norms for their members behavior, and more hierarchical leadership structures, than groups at peace. I evaluate the theory using laboratory studies that test the causal mechanism while controlling for factors that complicate the study of conflict in the field. The results of the studies thus far show that conflict influences group cohesion, the emergence of social norms, and the creation of authoritarian hierarchies. The project has broader theoretical implications for the study of institutions, group processes, and collective action, as well as practical relevance for developing conflict resolution strategies. I am currently working on extending this line of work.

I am also engaged in several related projects. A project with Pat Barclay examines the conditions under which people will exaggerate threats to the group in order to achieve or maintain position in a group hierarchy. A project with Robb Willer and others examines the relationship between behavior in conflict and status. With Ed Lawler, I am studying the role of emotions play in interventions aimed at reducing conflict.

An earlier project on opinion polarization in dynamic networks (with Michael Macy, James Kitts, and Andreas Flache), in the 2003 edited volume Dynamic Social Network Modeling and Analysis, used an agent-based model to show how a population with diverse opinions could polarize mutually antagonistic, internally homogeneous factions, assuming only well-documented social psychological principles of attraction and influence.

Inequality and Labor Market Discrimination

I am also interested in the causes and consequences of labor market discrimination, with a particular focus on gender discrimination. In my research, I investigate cognitive processes that create and maintain discriminatory practices, sometimes without the intent or knowledge of those engaging in discrimination.

In a recent paper (with Shelley Correll and In Paik) in the American Journal of Sociology, we find that mothers are disadvantaged on every measure of evaluation in a controlled experimental setting. Evaluators see mothers as less competent and committed than other workers, hold them to higher standards, see them as less worthy of hire, promotion and management training, and offer them lower salaries, while frequently rewarding fathers for being parents. In the same paper, an audit study of real employers shows that employers call back applicants who are mothers half as often as women without children.

This paper received the 2008 Rosebeth Moss Kanter International Award for Research Excellence in Work and Family, and the ASA Sex and Gender Section Outstanding Article Award. It has also received media coverage from a range of sources.

We are currently extending this research with an NSF-funded study of labor market discrimination based on the normative belief that mothers should be home with their children, even when they display irrefutable evidence of competence and commitment to paid work.

In another recent paper (with Robb Willer), in the March 2007 issue of the Journal of Mathematical Sociology, we extend the well-known Schelling segregation model to study the effects of wealth and status distributions on macro-patterns of residential choice. We find that the more correlated status and wealth, the more agents tend to segregate, either due to choice (for the wealthy and high status) or exclusion (for the poor and low status). We also find that status segregation only occurs when housing prices are determined endogenously, by the wealth of one's neighbors. The paper demonstrates one way in which inequality at the micro level might lead to macro-level structural changes.

Recently, I have begun studying how beliefs about inequality affect behavior. A new project, with Emilio Castilla, examines the relationship between meritocratic beliefs and gender bias in organizations. Please contact me for a working paper.

Consulting Experience

I have served as a consultant on projects related to both conflict and cognitive bias. Please see my CV for more details.