Dannefer D "Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: Cross-fertilizing age and social science theory" JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 58 (6): S327-S337 NOV 2003

[Eugene Garfield]

Professor Dale Dannefer : dale.dannefer at rochester.edu


TITLE      Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: Cross-fertilizing age and social science theory
AUTHOR Dannefer D
                  JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
                                                   58 (6): S327-S337 NOV 2003


 Document type: Review
                      Language: English
                                       Cited References: 141
                                                            Times Cited: 0

                                                                                           Explanation


Abstract:
Age and cumulative advantage/disadvantage theory have obvious logical, theoretical, and empirical connections, because both are inherently and
irreducibly related to
the passage of time. Over the past 15 years, these connections have resulted in the elaboration and application of the cumulative
advantage-disadvantage perspective in
social gerontology, especially in relation to issues of heterogeneity and inequality. However, its theoretical origins, connections, and implications
are not widely
understood. This article reviews the genesis of the cumulative advantage/disadvantage perspective in studies of science, its initial articulation with
structural-functionalism, and its expanding importance for gerontology. It discusses its intellectual relevance for several other established
theoretical paradigms in
sociology, psychology, and economics. On the basis of issues deriving from these perspectives and from the accumulating body of work on
cumulative advantage and
disadvantage, I identify several promising directions for further research in gerontology.

KeyWords Plus:
UNITED-STATES, ADVANTAGE, INEQUALITY, HEALTH, EDUCATION, MOBILITY, DISADVANTAGE, ATTAINMENT, PATTERNS, INCOME

Addresses:
Dannefer D, Univ Rochester, Warner Grad Sch Educ & Human Dev, Dewey Hall 1-210, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
Univ Rochester, Warner Grad Sch Educ & Human Dev, Rochester, NY 14627 USA
Case Western Reserve Univ, Dept Sociol, Cleveland, OH 44106 USA

Publisher:
GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIETY AMER, 1275 K STREET NW SUITE 350, WASHINGTON, DC 20005-4006 USA

IDS Number:
745WC

ISSN:
1079-5014