Nathan Wilmers
Assistant Professor of Work and Organization Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chapter Member: Boston SSN
Connect with Nathan
About Nathan
Wilmers studies the causes and consequences of rising U.S. income inequality. By using the tools of economic sociology, his ongoing research links big changes in the U.S. economy and U.S. economic policy to rising wage inequality. Prior to graduate school, he worked on labor issues at the National Labor Relations Board and as a research analyst at the AFL-CIO.
Contributions
Does Union Activism Actually Raise Wages?
Key Findings Brief,
In the News
Nathan Wilmers's research on housing exploitation of poor communities discussed by , "How Poor Americans Get Exploited by Their Landlords," CityLab, March 21, 2019.
Nathan Wilmers's research on the impact of wealthy consumers discussed by , "How to Get Rich? Serve the Rich Consumer," CNBC, July 30, 2014.
Nathan Wilmers's research on how rich consumers' preferences promote wage inequality discussed by , "The Inequality Snowball Effect," The Washington Post, July 25, 2014.
Publications
"Can High Income Consumers Increase Within-Industry Wage Inequality?," American Sociological Association Annual Meeting, July 31, 2014.
Explores the ways in which the disproportionate growth of high-income consumers has meant that the U.S. economy caters increasingly to the preferences of elite spenders, and what this implies for the future of workers and industry.