Curriculum Vitae

Welcome! 

My name is Masoud Movahed  and  I am currently Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Center for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamics as well as Postdoctoral Affiliate at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania

I completed my doctoral studies in the Sociology Department (Minor: Public Affairs) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2023. In 2018-2019, I also spent a year at the University of British Columbia as a Visiting Doctoral Student, where I completed graduate coursework in computational methods. Prior to that, I also completed an M.A. in Economics & Sociology at New York University.  My research uses computational and quantitative methods, but I retain a keen interest in comparative and historical methods. 

My dissertation entitled Varieties of Capitalism, Income Inequality, and Mobility,” draws on cross-national panel data for much of the post World War II era to explain why some countries are more egalitarian than others. Chapters of my dissertation (now published in Social Science Research and International Journal of Comparative Sociologyhave won multiple awards from the American Sociological Association’s Mathematical Sociology, Sociology of Development and Political Economy of the World-System Sections.  

CONTACT INFORMATION

Center for Social Norms & Behavioral Dynamics

Population Studies Center

University of Pennsylvania

Email: movahed@sas.upenn.edu 

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

Quantitative & Computational Methods, Spatial Methods, Machine Learning, Panel Data Analysis, Economic & Political Sociology, Intergenerational Income Mobility, Social Stratification, Comparative Studies of Wealth Inequality, Comparative Historical Methods, Cross-National and Global Sociology.

BOOK (IN PROGRESS)

“Varieties of Capitalism and Social Inequalities.” Book proposal under submission.

PEER REVIEWED PAPERS

2025                 Karl Vachuska & Movahed, Masoud. “Estimating the Causal Effect of Gun Violence on Neighborhood Popularity,” Spatial Demography. In Print.

2025                 Movahed, Masoud. “Structural vs. Associational Power and Income Inequality,” Journal of Industrial Relations. Online First.

 
2024                 Movahed, Masoud and Tiffany Neman†. “Intergenerational Income Mobility in the United States: A Racial-Spatial Account.” Social Science Research s123(2).

♦♦♦ Winner of Outstanding Graduate Student Paper Award, American Sociological Association’s Mathematical Sociology Section.

2023                 Masoud, Movahed. “Varieties of Capitalism and Income Inequality.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 64(6):621-657.

♦♦♦ Winner of Terence K. Hopkins Article Award, American Sociological Association’s   Political Economy of the World System Section

♦♦♦ Recipient of Honorable Mention Outstanding Article, American Sociological Association’s Sociology of Development Award for Best Article.

2023                 Goldberg, Chad Alan‡ and Masoud Movahed. “The New Class and Right-Wing Populism: The Case of Wisconsin.” The Sociological Quarterly 65(1), 105–125.

2023                 Movahed, Masoud., and Hirsh, Elizabeth‡. “Mobilizing Equal Employment Rights: The Social and Political Determinants of Discrimination Complaints,” The Sociological Quarterly, 64(2), 296–319.

2022                 Movahed, Masoud., and Hirsh, Elizabeth‡. The regional determinants of collective action in the era of American Resistance. Interface: A Journal For and About Social Movements 14(1):81 – 100.

2020                 Movahed, Masoud. “Industrializing an Oil-Based Economy: Evidence from Iran’s Automobile Industry,” Journal of International Development, 32:1148–1170.

WORK IN PROGRESS
 

Revise & Resubmit         Movahed, Masoud., & Emilio Parrado. “Comparative Capitalist Models & Total Fertility Rate,” Demography.

Revise & Resubmit         Movahed, Masoud. “Ethnic Heterogeneity and Income Inequality,” Socio-Economic Review.

Revise & Resubmit         Movahed, Masoud., & Chad Goldberg. “The Rise of Right-Wing Populism in the United States,” Politics & Society.

Under Review                Movahed, Masoud. “Varieties of Capitalism & Wealth Inequality,” American Journal of Sociology.

Under Review                Movahed, Masoud. “Understanding Institutional Change Across the Global North: A Machine Learning Approach,” Social Policy & Administration.  

Under Review                Movahed, Masoud., & Jason Schnittker. “The Institutional Dimensions of Wellbeing: A Cross-National Analysis.”

Under Review                Cristina Bicchieri, Kevin Vallier, Movahed, Masoud, Daniel Putman, Shaon Lahiri. “Social Trust and Poverty in America.”

Draft Available              Movahed, Masoud., Cristina Bicchieri, Kevin Vallier, Daniel Putman, Shaon Lahiri. “Perceptions of Intergenerational Income Mobility: A Machine Learning Approach.”

Draft Available              Cristina Bicchieri, Kevin Vallier, Movahed, Masoud, Daniel Putman, Shaon Lahiri. “Social Norms and Educational Attainment: A Survey Experiment.”

Draft Available              Movahed, Masoud., Jeff Goodwin., and Elizabeth Hirsh. “Collective Action in the Era of Right- Wing Populism: A Political-Economic Analysis.”

PUBLIC SOCIOLOGY WRITINGS/BOOK CHAPTERS

2022                             “The Optimism of the Intellect: Erik Olin Wright’s Real Utopias Project,” The Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible.

2020                             “Erik Olin Wright (1947-2019),” The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd Edition.

2019                             “A Great Heart Stopped: Erik Olin Wright (1947-2019),” The Progressive. Reprinted in Common Dreams.

2019                             “Does capitalism have to be bad for the environment?” World Economic Forum.

2019                             “The Sanctions Game: Why Trump’s Maximum Pressure Strategy is Doomed to Failure,” Boston Review.

2018                             “Rebooting Iran’s Economy: What Tehran Needs to Do to Fix its Finances,” Foreign Affairs.

2018                             “A Wake-up Call to Rouhani” Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

2018                             “Swimming Against the Tide: State Interventions and Technical Change in the Era of Knowledge-Based Economy,” Harvard Economics Review.

2017                             “The Uneven Growth of Capitalism in India,” Harvard Economics Review.

2016                             “The Persistence of Manufacturing in Deindustrialized America,” Harvard Economics Review.

2016                             “Is Democracy Intrinsic to Economic Development?” Harvard Economics Review.

2016                             “Nuclear Deal Could Unleash Iran’s Economy,” Aljazeera America.

2015                             “What is Good for Banks is not Good for the Economy,” Harvard Economics Review.

2014                             “The East Asian Miracle: Where did Adam Smith go wrong?” Harvard International Review.

2014                             “Everyone’s Talking About Iran’s Nuclear Program. What About Its Auto Industry?” Yale Journal of International Affairs.

2014                             “Beyond sectarian politics: Saudi-Iranian Relations in Prospect,” Yale Journal of International Affairs.

2013                             “Why should resource-based economies diversify?” Aljazeera English.

2011                             “Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan and its consequences,” Journal of Asian Development Matters 5(): 311-315.

AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS, GRANTS

2023                             Sociology & Political Economy Summer Institute, University of California-Berkeley, ($4,000).

2020                             Gerald Marwell Award, Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, ($2,000).

2019                             Graduate Student Fellowship, University of British Columbia, Canada, (Fall & Spring 2019).

2018                             Chancellor Fellowship for doctoral studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, (2017-2018) ($30,000).

2017                             Chancellor Fellowship for doctoral studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, (2016-2017) ($30,000).

2008                             Full Merit Scholarship from Qatar University, (2008-2012).

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

Journal Reviewer:  American Sociological Review, American Journal of Sociology, Industrial Relations, International Journal of Social Welfare, Sociology of Development, The Sociological Quarterly.

TEACHING

Fall 2024                       Data Analysis Research Seminar I †Lecturer

University of Pennsylvania, Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE)

Spring 2024                   Data Analysis Research Seminar I †Lecturer

University of Pennsylvania, Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE)

Fall 2023                       Data Analysis Research Seminar I †Lecturer

University of Pennsylvania, Philosophy, Politics, Economics (PPE)

Spring 2021                   Statistics for Sociologists I (Soc360) †Lecturer

Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall 2020                       Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences (Stat 371) †Teaching Assistant Department of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spring 2019                   Statistics for Sociologists II (Soc 361) †Teaching Assistant Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall 2019                       Statistics for Sociologists I (Soc 361) †Teaching Assistant Department of Sociology, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Summer 2019                Law and Society †Teaching Assistant

Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia

Spring 2018                   Methods of Social Research †Teaching Assistant Department of Sociology, University of British Columbia

Spring 2016                   Contemporary American Society †Teaching Assistant

Department of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Fall 2016                       Contemporary American Society †Teaching Assistant

Department of Afro-American Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS

2024                             “The Determinants of the Perceptions of Intergenerational Upward and Downward Mobility in America: A Machine-Learning Approach,” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility, Montreal.

2024                             “The Institutional Determinants of Wealth Inequality,” Perspectives on Wealth and Inequality, Regular Section, Montreal.

2024                             “The Determinants of the Perceptions of Intergenerational Upward and Downward Mobility in America: A Machine-Learning Approach,” Research Committee 28 (RC28) on Social Stratification and Mobility, Brown University.

2024                             “Right-Wing Populism in the US, Contemporary Right-Wing Politics in Comparative Perspective,” Regular Section, Montreal.

2023                             “Roots of Poverty in America”, The Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (PPE) Society’s Seventh Annual Meeting, New Orleans.

2023                             “Ethnic Fractionalization & Income Inequality,” Research Committee 28 (RC28) on Social Stratification and Mobility, University of Michigan Ann-Arbor.

2023                             “Ethnic Fractionalization & Income Inequality,” Santa Fe Institute, August 3, 2023. 2023 “Varieties of Capitalism and Income Inequality,” Sociology and Political Economy Summer Institute, University of California-Berkeley.

2023                             “Varieties of Capitalism and Income Inequality,” Cross-National and Comparative Studies of Inequality Section, Population Association of America.

2022                             “Ethnic Heterogeneity and Income Inequality,” Section Session Presentation on Cross- National Sociology Panel, American Sociological Association, Los Angeles, California.

2022                             “Intergenerational Income Mobility in the United States: A Racial-Spatial Account,” Session Presentation Poverty, Inequality and Mobility, American Sociological As- sociation, Los Angeles, California.

2022                             “Intergenerational Income Mobility in the United States: A Racial-Spatial Account,” Family, Neighborhood, and Intergenerational Mobility Session, Population Association of America, Atlanta, Georgia.

2021                             “Varieties of Capitalism and Income Inequality,” Session Comparative analysis of political institutions, Social Science History Association, Chicago, Illinois.

2021                             “Mobilizing Equal Employment Rights: The Social and Political Determinants of Discrimination Complaints (2009-2018),” Session on Affirmative Action and Anti-Discrimination Policy, American Sociological Association.

2021                             “Mobilizing Equal Employment Rights: The Social and Political Determinants of Discrimination Complaints (2009-2018),” Law and Injustice: Can Law Repair the Harms of Systemic Racism? Society for the Study of Social Problems Session.

2021                             “Varieties of Capitalism and Income Inequality,” Poverty and Inequality in the Global Context Session. Society for the Study of Social Problems.

2020                             “The Determinants of Collective Action in the Era of American Resistance,“ Collective Behavior and Social Movements Session, American Sociological Association.

2020                             “The regional determinants of collective action in the era of American Resistance,“ Capitalism and Contention Conference, 2020, New York University’s Sociology Department, Paper accepted, Postponed due to COVID19.

2020                             “The regional determinants of collective action in the era of American Resistance,” San Diego State University, Mobilization Conference, Paper accepted, Postponed due to COVID19.

2018                             “Shielded From Neoliberal Strictures: Oil, State and the Rise of Iran’s Auto Industry, “Comparative Historical Social Sciences Conference, Northwestern University, Chicago.

2017                             “Estimating the Effects of Disadvantaged Neighborhoods on Educational Outcomes in Norway Using Marginal Structural Model for Time-varying variable,” Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Brauer’s Lab Group. 2017.

2016                             “The Obduracy of the Old Economy: The Trajectory of Manufacturing in the U.S. Economy,” American Sociological Association, Economic Sociology Pre-Conference, The University of Washington, Seattle, August 19, 2016.

2015                             “Besieged at Home: Iran’s Auto Industry,” Graduate Student Research Conference, New York University, New York City.

2012                             “Dialogue Among Civilizations” The Middle Eastern Studies Conference, George- town University’s Qatar Campus, Doha, Qatar.

OTHER EMPLOYMENTS

2018-2021 Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs,

Research Consultant

2020-2022  University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Wisconsin Strategy (COWS),

Project Assistant

LANGUAGES

English (Read, Write, Speak)

Persian (Read, Write, Speak)

Arabic (Read, Write, Speak)

SOFTWARE SKILLS

R, STATA, Matlab, Geoda

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

  • American Sociological Association
  • Social Science History Association
  • Population Association of America

REFERENCES

Professor Ivan Ermakoff

Sewell-Bascom Professor

Department of Sociology

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: ermakoff@ssc.wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 262-8206

Professor Jane Collins

Frances Perkins Professor

Department of Sociology

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: jcollins@ssc.wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 890-0348

Professor Christine Schwartz

Vilas Distinguished Research Professor

Department of Sociology

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: cschwart@ssc.wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 262-579

Professor Joel Rogers

Noam Chomsky Professor

Department of Sociology

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: jrogers@ssc.wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 262-4266

Professor Timothy Smeeding

Lee Rainwater Distinguished Professor

La Follette School of Public Affairs

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: smeeding@lafollette.wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 890-1317

Professor Chad Goldberg

Martindale-Bascom Professor of Sociology

Department of Sociology

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Email: cagoldberg@wisc.edu

Phone: (608) 262-2108