Quan Mai

I am a Ph.D Candidate in the Sociology Department at Vanderbilt. My research interests include social stratification, sociology of labor markets, work and occupations, labor movements, environmental sociology, and research methods. Broadly speaking, I am interested in how a range of social relations—including racial relations, employment relations, state regulatory capacity and social movements—combine in the economy, polity, and in urban spaces to influence processes of social stratification. More specifically, my research agenda focuses on three major areas:

[1] the institutional drivers and consequences of precarious work in the new economy

[2] the interaction between multiple media platforms and the shaping of U.S labor movement

[3] the role of social movements and political institutions in shaping various aspects of green energy policies.

My dissertation uses a large-scale computerized audit study that involves submitting 12,000 fictitious resumes to job openings in 50 metropolitan areas to examine the ‘scarring’ effect of freelancing in the new economy. The study also addresses how such penalties vary by race at the individual level, and how they are shaped by urban labor markets’ demographic composition and economic conditions at the city level.

More information about my research and my most recent CV can be found at: www.quandmai.com