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Recent protest movements brought attention to the one percent, a segment of the population that is critical to understanding inequality and social mobility but that attracts relatively little research attention. In this article, I survey current research on the one percent in the United States. I distinguish income from wealth and show that both are very concentrated but that the concentration of wealth, particularly financial wealth, is extremely high. I describe the demographic traits and finances of households who are in the one percent and discuss how these have changed in the past decade. I review literature that explains rising top incomes, and I propose that future research will usefully concentrate more on top wealth owners and on the demographic and life course processes that underlie income and wealth concentration. I conclude by speculating about why Americans are so tolerant of resource concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article provides a review and evaluation of sociological research that explores the two aspects of transition from socialism to some form of market system, the nature of the transition process and the consequences of transition for stratification and mobility. The authors look into the two theoretical approaches, institutional and corporatist, that have been the focus of debate regarding transition and evaluate the empirical evidence for each. They also argue that empirical evidence provides support for elements of each but that detailed scope conditions and more nuanced arguments are critical.

The networks of interfirm relations that developed in business groups during China's economic transition have been an important part of the country's economic transition. This article examines the process by which interfirm lending and trade ties emerged and evolved in the business groups in the early stages of reform. It studies the effect of business group structure on firm financial performance in the early stages of reform (1988-1990) and later in development (1994-1999). Initially, firms resorted to external resources (e.g., prior connections) to develop alliances. With time, they began to draw on internal resources (e.g., experience) to identify partners. Some business group structures improve member firm performance early in reform, but group membership reduces performance as markets stabilize. The findings underscore the changing significance of interfirm alliances at various stages of economic development. The findings are relevant for both developing countries and countries that developed in previous eras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During an economic transition from socialism, market exchange replaces redistribution. We study firm decisions to enter product markets to understand the factors that influence this process. Managers in Chinese State Owned Enterprises operated within institutional constraints to make strategic decisions, and state intervention shaped which factors were salient. Firms financed through central government and bond issues relied less on markets. Firms funded through local government moved into markets faster; firms funded by banks were initially faster to markets but slower to markets after bank reform shifted lending policies. Thus, the accessibility, flexibility, and stability of financing shaped decisions about market entrance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of financial markets, money, and banking is largely considered the purview of economics. Yet sociologists have contributed greatly to understanding financial relations since the early history of the discipline. This review begins with an overview of classical sociological approaches to financial markets, money, and banking and then describes how research in these areas exploded in recent decades. I describe the current state of research on money, relations among firms and banks, and interlocking directorates. I consider the ways financial relations shape firm behaviors and processes, and I describe the growing body of work that treats financial markets as outcomes. I discuss research on the transformation of financial systems during transition from state socialism, and I conclude with a discussion of a growing literature that combines studies of financial markets and social stratification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wealth ownership in the United States has long been concentrated in the hands of a small minority of the population, yet researchers have paid relatively little attention to the causes and consequences of this inequality. In this essay, we review the literature that does exist on wealth accumulation and distribution. We begin with an examination of the reasons that wealth inequality has received little empirical attention. We then discuss methods of creating empirical estimates of wealth accumulation and distribution, and we present some estimates of recent trends in wealth inequality. We explore a diverse collection of research that explains these trends, covering treatments of aggregate influences and individual and household factors. We conclude the chapter with a review of research on intergenerational processes and wealth mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]