Dr Christopher Kollmeyer

Biography

Dr Christopher Kollmeyer is a senior lecturer of sociology. He holds a doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he was a faculty fellow in Global and International Studies for several years. His research focuses on large-scale changes in the social structures and political economies of modern societies and how these changes affect a range of outcomes of interest to sociologists, such as income inequality, trade union participation, and democratic politics. 

Most of his research uses advanced quantitative methods. He has considerable experience compiling and using large-scale datasets in the fields of macro-sociology and political economy, but he maintains an interest in historical-comparative sociology and the unique qualitative methods upon which this field rests.

Most recently, he undertook a series of studies, funded by the Leverhulme Trust, which together examine issues related to economic development and outbreaks of political violence in countries around the world. The most recent of these articles, about why economic globalization does not promote civil peace in developing countries, is freely available online (see here).

He teaches several postgraduate courses, including Dimensions of Globalization, International Political Economy, Advanced Quantitative Analysis, and Research Design. He is the director of the Master of Research in Social Science degree programme here at Aberdeen (see here).

Since 2014, he has been on the editorial board of the International Journal of Comparative Sociology. From 2009 to 2015, he was on the editorial board of Work, Employment & Society.

Current Research

Publications

2024. "Does Economic Globalization Promote Civil Peace in Developing Countries?" Cooperation and Conflict (early access from 24 Sept 2024).

2024. “Structural Position in the Global Economy and Major Episodes of Civil Violence, 1970 to 2018.” Sociology of Development 10(1):1-28.

2021. “Post-Industrial Capitalism and Trade Union Decline in Affluent Democracies.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 62(6):466-487.

2020. "Deindustrialization." In Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd edition, edited by George Ritzer. New York: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.

2019. “Financialization and the Decline of Organized Labor: A Study of 18 Advanced Capitalist Countries, 1970 to 2012.” Social Forces 98(1):1-30 (with John Peters).

2018. “Trade Union Decline, Deindustrialization, and Rising Income Inequality in the United States, 1947 to 2015.” Research in Social Stratification and Mobility 57:1-10.

2017. “Market Forces and Workers’ Power Resources: A Sociological Account of Real Wage Growth in Advanced Capitalism.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 58(2):99-119.

2015.  “Globalization and Income Inequality: How Public Sector Spending Moderates This Relationship in Affluent Countries.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 56(1):3-28.

2014. “Glocalisation and the Simultaneous Rise and Fall of Democracy at Century’s End.” In European Glocalization in Global Context, edited by Roland Robertson. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

2014.  “Income Inequality in Advanced Capitalism: How Protective Institutions can Promote Egalitarian Societies.”  Comparative Sociology 13(4): 419-444.

2013. “Is Deindustrialization Causing High Unemployment in Affluent Countries? Evidence from 16 OECD Countries, 1970-2003.” Social Forces 91(3):785–812 (with Florian Pichler). 

2013. “Family Structure, Female Employment, and National Income Inequality: A Cross-National Study of 16 Western Countries.” European Sociological Review 29(4):816-827.

2013. “Who Joins Trade Unions?: Testing New Sociological Explanations.” Comparative Sociology 12(4):548–574.

2012. “Consumer Markets and National Income Inequality: A Study of 18 Advanced Capitalist Countries.” International Journal of Comparative Sociology 53(5-6):400-418.

2010. "Globalization and Democracy: The Triumph of Liberty over Equality." Research in Political Sociology 18:177-195.

2009. "Explaining Deindustrialization: How Affluence, Productivity Growth, and Globalization Diminish Manufacturing Employment." American Journal of Sociology 114(6):1644-74.

2009. "Consequences of North-South Trade for Affluent Countries: A New Application of Unequal Exchange Theory." Review of International Political Economy 16(5): 803-26.

2007. "Economic Globalization and Its Political Consequences." In K. Christensen, D. Levinson (ed), Global Perspectives on the United States: Issues and Ideas Shaping International Relations (Washington: Congressional Quarterly Press), pp 136-41.

2007. "Bringing Gramsci Back In: Labour Control in Italy's New Temporary Help Industry." Work, Employment & Society 21(3):497-515 (with  Francesca Degiuli).

2006. "Explaining Consensual Domination: Moving Beyond the Concept of Hegemony." In R.Fletcher (ed), Beyond Resistance: The Future of Freedom (New York : Nova Science Publishers), pp 55-67.

2004. "Corporate Interests: How the News Media Portray the Economy." Social Problems 51(3):432-452.

Reprinted in Sociological Footprints: Introductory Readings in Sociology, 10th Edition, edited by Leonard Cargan and Jeanne Ballantine (Belmont, California: Wadsworth Publishing, 2006).

2003. "Globalization, Class Compromise, and American Exceptionalism: Political Change in 16 Advanced Capitalist Countries." Critical Sociology 29(3):369-391.

Funding and Grants

Grants and Awards

Leverhulme Trust.  Research Fellowship (one-year research sabbatical plus expenses): "Globalization and Civil Conflict in Developing Countries" (2021). 

British Sociological Association.  Richard Brown Prize for best paper given at the BSA's Work, Employment & Society conference, Brighton, England, 7-9 September (2010).

Leverhulme Trust.  Research Fellowship (one-year research sabbatical plus expenses): "Globalization and Income Inequality" (2010). 

British Academy. Small Research Grant: "Why has union membership declined? Assessing the relative effects of political, economic, and social change" (2009).

American Sociological Association. Terrance K. Hopkins Dissertation Award from the Political Economy of the World-System section of the ASA for the most outstanding dissertation in global and comparative sociology written from 2003 through 2005.

National Science Foundation. Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant (2003).

Institute for Labor and Employment (University of California). Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship (2002-03); Pre-Dissertation Fellowship (2002); Research Grant (2001).

Teaching Responsibilities

Current Teaching

• Advanced Quantitative Analysis in Social Science (SL5513)
• Advanced Quantitative Methods in Social Science (SL5512) (co-taught)
• Dimensions of Globalization (SO5512)
• International Political Economy (IR5007) (co-taught)
• Political Sociology (SO4554)

Current External Examining

Dr Kollmeyer is an External Examiner for honours and postgraduate degrees in Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Research at the University of Stirling.