University of California Press
The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us
Key Metrics
- Mark Robert Rank
- University of California Press
- Hardcover
- 9780520390966
- -
- -
- Psychology > Social Psychology
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
It's comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard, climb ladders, and get what we deserve, but each of us has been profoundly touched by randomness. Chance is shown to play a crucial role in shaping outcomes across history, throughout the natural world, and in our everyday lives. In The Random Factor, Mark Robert Rank draws from a wealth of evidence, interviews, and extensive research to explain how luck and chance play out, and reveals how we can use these lessons to guide our personal lives and public policies.
The Random Factor traverses luck from macro to micro, from events like the Cuban Missile Crisis to our personal encounters and relationships. From his perspective as a scholar of poverty, Rank also delves into the class and race dynamics of chance, emphasizing the stark disparities it brings to light. This transformative book prompts a new understanding of the twists and turns in our daily lives and encourages readers to fully appreciate the surprising world of randomness in which we live.
Author Bio
Mark R. Rank is recognized as a foremost expert on issues of poverty, inequality and social justice. His research on the life course risk of poverty has demonstrated for the first time that a majority of Americans will experience poverty at some point during their lives.
To date he has written 10 books on a range of subjects, including an exploration of the American Dream, a new understanding of poverty and inequality, and the role of luck and chance in shaping the course of our lives. In addition, he has published articles in numerous academic journals across a wide variety of fields.
Rank’s research has been reported widely throughout the news media, and cited in virtually every major newspaper in the country. He has also been featured in other media outlets including various programs on National Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, the Chronicle of Higher Education, and many others.
He has provided research expertise to members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, as well as many national organizations involved in issues of economic and social justice. His work has been cited by then-President Barack Obama, as well as Senator Bernie Sanders and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
Rank has developed a website, Confronting Poverty, that allows users to explore in greater depth the issues of poverty and economic inequality. The site, whose centerpiece is an innovative poverty risk calculator, is being used in universities and high schools across the country, along with various social justice and religious communities and organizations. To date, the website has over 1 million page views, and has had visitors from more than 200 countries.
Research Interests
Poverty and economic inequality
Social welfare and social policy
Demography
Life course
Education
- Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1984
- Field of Study: Sociology
- M.S. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1980
- Field of Study: Sociology
- B.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison 1978
- Field of Study: Sociology
Source: Washington University in St. Louise
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