Doctoral Dissertation Research: Tradeoffs of Economic Mobility and Political Orientation in the Context of Urbanization

该奖项全部或部分根据2021年美国救援计划法案（公法117-2）资助。城市化的兴起往往为年轻人提供新的经济机会。个人发展的机会可能与平等主义的文化理想形成对比。由此产生的权衡对中产阶级年轻人的政治动员有影响。本学位论文研究了在快速城市化和相对较高的政治和经济不确定性的背景下，经济流动性对政治环境的影响。调查研究了不同城市背景下中产阶级专业人士政治取向的决定因素。使用人类学方法的补充，调查文件的政治参与和经济动机的社会层面。除了提供资金培训一名研究生掌握经验科学数据收集和分析方法外，还与决策者、非政府组织、和民间社会组织，以支持解决经济不平等和预防冲突的倡议。这个博士论文项目研究了推动中产阶级的力量，将年轻专业人员分为两类，一类是基于消费和经济流动性的政治参与，另一类是出于对社会正义和平等的关切的政治参与。该项目使用参与观察来探索年轻专业人员在两种类型的研究场所的行动和决定：与消费主义相关的场所，如购物中心，以及与行动主义相关的场所，如政治组织会议。为了补充这些方法，半结构化的访谈和研究参与者的直接观察进行了解更大的网络和社会义务，影响中产阶级的年轻专业人士的政治取向。由此产生的研究成果促进了对中产阶级青年对经济发展和政治优先事项的动态和潜在影响的更好理解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). The rise of urbanization often provides new economic opportunities for young adults. The opportunities for individual advancement may stand in contrast to cultural ideals toward egalitarianism. The resulting tradeoffs have implications for the political mobilization of middle-class young adults. This dissertation project examines the effects of economic mobility on political settings in the settings characterized by rapid urbanization and relatively high political and economic uncertainty. The investigation examines the determinants of political orientations among middle-class professionals in diverse urban contexts. Using a complement of anthropological methods, the investigators document the social dimensions of political participation and economic motivations. In addition to providing funding for the training of a graduate student in the methods of empirical, scientific data collection and analysis, findings from the project are shared with policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and civil society organizations to support on initiatives that address economic inequality and conflict prevention.This doctoral dissertation project examines the forces that push middle-class young professionals towards political participation based on consumption and economic mobility versus political participation driven by concerns for social justice and equality. This project uses participant observation to explore the actions and decisions of young professionals in two types of research sites: sites associated with consumerism, such as shopping malls, and sites associated with activism, such as political organizing meetings. To complement these methods, semi-structured interviews and direct observations of study participants are conducted to understand the larger networks and social obligations that influence the political orientations of middle-class young professionals. The resulting research findings promote greater understanding of the dynamics and potential impact of middle-class youth on economic development and political priorities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.