Alec P. Rhodes

Alec P. Rhodes

Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology | Purdue University

About Me

I’m an assistant professor of sociology and Faculty Associate of the Center on Aging and the Life Course at Purdue University. My research focuses on income support policies and credit use among vulnerable populations, the impacts of unions and labor policy on worker compensation and job growth, and the consequences of wealth, debt, and financial insecurity for health and well-being across the life course. I have published in journals such as the American Sociological Review, Social Forces, Social Problems, and Nature Human Behaviour.

Interests
  • Inequality, Poverty & Mobility
  • Economic Sociology
  • Organizations, Occupations & Work
  • Labor & Labor Movements
  • Social Demography
  • Social Policy
Education

  • PhD in Sociology, 2023

    Ohio State University

  • MA in Sociology, 2020

    Ohio State University

  • BA in Sociology | BA in Economics, 2018

    Hobart and William Smith Colleges

My Research

My research asks how social institutions and policies shape inequality, poverty and social mobility. One strand focuses on worker power and labor market inequality. Another strand examines the causes and consequences of household credit, wealth, and debt. Click on the links below to learn more about some of my recent projects…
U.S. State Payday Lending Regulations
Payday lending provides access to short-term small-dollar loans but at significant cost to borrowers and reinforces inequalities in U.S. financial markets. States have authority to regulate these loans above and beyond federal regulation, although questions remain about their effectiveness. We introduce a state payday lending regulation database that we link to proprietary data on the availability and use of high-cost credit.
The Wealth Returns to a Unionized Career
Drawing on power resources theory and life course theories of cumulative advantage, this project examines the wealth returns to a unionized career. Using longitudinal data on the working lives of US Baby Boomers and comprehensive measures of wealth at midlife, I find that the average wealth returns to unionized careers are substantial, exceeding $130,000 for marketable wealth.
The Right to Work and Economic Dynamism
Do state Right to Work (RTW) laws unleash economic dynamism? Although the specific goals of RTW laws to loosen union security agreements appear to narrowly target unionized firms, proponents and opponents alike argue that RTW laws have broad labor market consequences.
Student Debt and Geographic Disadvantage
During the early 2000s rates of college enrollment and completion rose for young adults from rural backgrounds at the same time that rising college costs and stagnating family incomes increased rates of student loan borrowing. Recently published in Rural Sociology, this paper examines geographic disparities in student debt accumulation among a recent national cohort of US college-goers from rural, suburban, and urban backgrounds.
State Safety Net Policies and Debt
Credit and social safety net benefits are among the most important resources that households rely on when facing income shortfalls and other forms of economic scarcity. Theorists have described a credit-welfare state tradeoff where credit markets become particularly important where safety net benefits are less supportive.
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