An introductory account of the concept of class stratification, of contemporary approaches to the study of class, and of current debates about its role in the study of society. Definitions and an analysis of different theoretical approaches to class are accompanied by empirical material which compares the class structures of a range of countries and examines social mobility in cross-national perspective.

Have the two parts of Ireland been converging or diverging over time? And what implications do these patterns of change have for the future? In this first-ever systematic study of the social, economic, and political development of the two Irelands since partition, a distinguished group of scholars from Ireland (North and South), Britain, and America have worked together to provide answers that are essential for any understanding of current political events. There are chapters on economic development, political history, demography and migration, the religions of Ireland, gender differences, the family and the state of the labour market, industrial relations, education and social stratification, nationalism and political culture, and political behaviour. Some important areas of convergence are demonstrated, especially in fertility, but in other respects the two Irelands remain distinct, with the North evolving some unique characteristics of its own.

An introductory account of the concept of class stratification, of contemporary approaches to the study of class, and of current debates about its role in the study of society. Definitions and an analysis of different theoretical approaches to class are accompanied by empirical material which compares the class structures of a range of countries and examines social mobility in cross-national perspective.

This volume examines the role of education in shaping rates and patterns of intergenerational social mobility among men and women during the twentieth century. Focusing on the relationship between a person's social class and the social class of his or her parents, each chapter looks at a different country-the United States, Sweden, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland. Contributors examine change in absolute and relative mobility and in education across birth cohorts born between the first decade of the twentieth century and the early 1970s. They find a striking similarity in trends across all countries, and in particular a contrast between the fortunes of people born before the 1950s, those who enjoyed increasing rates of upward mobility and a decline in the strength of the link between class origins and destinations, and later generations who experienced more downward mobility and little change in how origins and destinations are linked. This volume uncovers the factors that drove these shifts, revealing education as significant in promoting social openness. It will be an invaluable source for anyone who wants to understand the evolution of mobility and inequality in the contemporary world.

The Republic of Ireland in 1958 abandoned its self-imposed isolation from the modern world for the promise of social and economic progress. State initiatives to promote industrial development coincided with an expanding world economy, and served to promote rapid and radical change in almost every aspect of Irish society. However, the massive growth served to reinforce, not weaken the class barriers, and the policies of successive governments generated change without achieving economic prosperity. The aim of this study is to assemble and interpret these economic and social changes since 1960, placing them in the context of the Irish experience since independence, and comparing Ireland's problems and economic progress to that of other developed countries. The authors argue that the late and rapid economic development transformed the Republic of Ireland without securing either economic prosperity or equality of opportunity.

Social Mobility in Europe is the most comprehensive study to date of trends in intergenerational social mobility. It uses data from 11 European countries covering the last 30 years of the twentieth century to analyze differences between countries and changes through time.
The findings call into question several long-standing views about social mobility. We find a growing similarity between countries in their class structures and rates of absolute mobility: in other words, the countries of Europe are now more alike in their flows between class origins and destinations than they were thirty years ago. However, differences between countries in social fluidity (that is, the relative chances, between people of different class origins, of being found in given class destinations) show no reduction and so there is no evidence supporting theories of modernization which predict such convergence. Our results also contradict the long-standing Featherman Jones Hauser hypothesis of a basic similarity in social fluidity in all industrial societies 'with a market economy and a nuclear family system'. There are considerable differences between countries like Israel and Sweden, where societal openness is very marked, and Italy, France, and Germany, where social fluidity rates are low. Similarly, there is a substantial difference between, for example, the Netherlands in the 1970s (which was quite closed) and in the 1990s, when it ranks among the most open societies.
Mobility tables reflect many underlying processes and this makes it difficult to explain mobility and fluidity or to provide policy prescriptions. Nevertheless, those countries in which fluidity increased over the last decades of the twentieth century had not only succeeded in reducing class inequalities in educational attainment but had also restricted the degree to which, among people with the same level of education, class background affected their chances of gaining access to better class destinations.

What techniques can social scientists use when an outcome variable for a sample (for example, y) is not representative of the population for which generalized results are preferred? Author Richard Breen provides an introduction to regression models for such data, including censored, sample-selected, and truncated data. Regression Models begins with a discussion of the Tobit model and examines issues such as maximum likelihood estimation and the interpretation of parameters. The author next discusses the basic sample selection model and the truncated regression model. Elaborating on the modeling of censored and sample-selected data via maximum likelihood, he shows the close links between the models introduced and other regression models for non-continuous dependent variables, such as the ordered probit. Concluding with an exploration of some of the criticisms of these approaches and difficulties associated with them, this volume gives readers a guide to the practical utility of these models.