Theoretical Focus
From a theoretical point of view, CLIC focuses on the unequal distribution of resources, and how these play out for individual and socially linked life courses in terms of educational, occupational, demographic, political, and health outcomes. We study the cumulation of advantages and disadvantages within domains across the life course, across domains within a life phase, and across domains across the life course. We have a particular interest in how the institutional context matters for life course inequalities. Do societies vary in terms of (the cumulation of) educational, occupational, demographic, and health outcomes, and, if so, why is that the case? As societies are becoming increasingly diverse and shaped by international migration, how do intergroup relationships evolve in terms of competition for scarce resources, norms transmission and social cohesion? How are life courses defined by key transitions such as becoming a parent, repartnering or separating? We are also interested in studying policy support, perceptions of inequalities and their determinants, and the processes through which policies and institutions are legitimized or contested.
Comparative Dimension
CLIC tries to establish both the generality of findings about the life course found in one particular society and to explain the specific impact of variations in institutional settings, policies and social structures of different societies on specific life phases or the life course as a whole. We combine small-scale experimental studies, single-country longitudinal studies, and large-N, cross-national comparative studies (based on both experimental and observational data) to answer questions about the conditioning of various sorts of inequality.
Methodological Focus
CLIC uses and produces various quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative (micro-level and contextual level) data include prospective and retrospective longitudinal data collected through surveys or population registers, experiments, and aggregate level data, which are analysed using a variety of methods for both detailed description and causal inference. Qualitative approaches used by CLIC members include ethnographies, interviews and document analyses.
CLIC tries to establish both the generality of findings about the life course found in one particular society and to explain the specific impact of variation in institutional settings and social structures of different societies on specific life phases or the life course as a whole. An important aim of the Centre is also to apply and further advance innovative methods of longitudinal data analysis.