Sociology & Criminology for a Changing World
Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor is a groundbreaking work by political scientist and technologist Virginia Eubanks. Published in 2018, the book examines the rise of automated decision-making systems in public service sectors such as welfare, housing, and child protection. Eubanks argues that these technologies disproportionately target and penalize poor
The Power Elite (1956) by C. Wright Mills is one of the most influential works in twentieth-century sociology. It offers a powerful critique of postwar American society by arguing that political, economic, and military leaders form a tightly interconnected ruling class. Unlike pluralist theories that see power as widely dispersed, Mills claims that a relatively
This section presents key works in criminology that go beyond classical theories of crime. The selected texts are theoretically rich, interdisciplinary, and have had a lasting impact on criminological debate. They cover central themes such as social control, criminal law, policing, surveillance, social inequality, and deviant identities. Classics & Foundational Texts in Criminology W. E.
Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) argues that high crime rates result from a cultural emphasis on economic success combined with institutional imbalance. When economic values dominate other social institutions—such as family, education, and politics—social control weakens, leading to higher levels of utilitarian, self-interested behavior and, ultimately, crime. Key Points Institutional Anomie Theory (IAT) Main Proponents: Steven