Robert Mason Hauser is an American
sociologist. He is the Vilas Research and Samuel F. Stouffer professor of sociology emeritus at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
, where he served as director of the
Institute for Research on Poverty
The Institute for Research on Poverty is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute at the University of Wisconsin–Madison dedicated to studying poverty and economic inequality. It was established in March 1966, as a result of an agreement be ...
and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging.
Hauser is known for his work in quantitative sociology, studying issues such as social stratification, social mobility, impacts of education, race and gender, persistence of inequality across generations, and aging.
Hauser served as Executive Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2010-2016)
and now serves as executive officer of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
(2017-).
Early life and education
Robert Mason Hauser was born to Sylvia and Julius Hauser in Chicago, Illinois. His father was an organic chemist with the
Food and Drug Administration
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respon ...
(FDA). His uncle,
Philip M. Hauser, was a sociologist, demographer, and social statistician. The family moved from Chicago to the
Anacostia
Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is na ...
neighborhood of Washington, DC, in 1949 and to
Silver Spring, Maryland
Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 ce ...
in 1954.
Hauser has a B.A. in economics (1963) from the
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...
and an M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. (1968) in sociology from the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
.
His dissertation was ''Family, School, and Neighborhood Factors in Educational Performances in a Metropolitan School System'', supervised by
Otis Dudley Duncan
Otis Dudley Duncan (December 2, 1921 in Nocona, Texas – November 16, 2004, in Santa Barbara, California) was "the most important quantitative sociologist in the world in the latter half of the 20th century", according to sociologist Leo Goodma ...
.
It was selected by the
American Sociological Association for publication in the Arnold and Caroline Rose Monograph series, appearing as ''Socioeconomic background and educational performance'' (1971).
Career
From 1967–1969 Hauser was on the faculty of the department of sociology and anthropology at
Brown University.
In 1969 Hauser joined the department of sociology at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...
.
Robert Hauser became the Vilas Research and Samuel F. Stouffer professor of sociology (now retired) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and served as director of the university's Institute for Research on Poverty and the Center for Demography of Health and Aging.
He worked with
William H. Sewell and others to develop the
Wisconsin model
The Wisconsin model of socio-economic attainment is a model that describes and explains an individual's social mobility and its economic, social, and psychological determinants. The logistics of this model are primarily attributed to William H. Se ...
of
status attainment
Status attainment is the process of one attaining one's positions in society, or class. Status attainment is affected by both achieved factors, such as educational attainment, and ascribed factors, such as family income. The theory of status atta ...
, described as "paradigmatic in its influence on an entire subfield of the discipline."
Hauser joined the project in 1969 and led the
Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (WLS) from 1980-2010,
working closely with his wife, research scientist
Taissa S. Hauser
Hauser has also served on several committees of the
United States National Research Council
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (also known as NASEM or the National Academies) are the collective scientific national academy of the United States. The name is used interchangeably in two senses: (1) as an umbrel ...
. He was the Executive Director of the Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education at the
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine from 2010-2016.
He became executive officer of the
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
as of June 12, 2017.
Research
Hauser has developed and used statistical methodology and data analysis techniques for the study of educational effects.
Hauser's research examines trends in educational progression and social mobility
in the US due to race, ethnicity and gender. He has studied the effects of families on social and economic inequality, and changes in socioeconomic standing, health, and well-being across the life course through the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.
He examines and critiques the use of educational assessment as a policy tool.
Awards and honors
* 2008, Fellow,
American Educational Research Association
The American Educational Research Association (AERA, pronounced "A-E-R-A") is a professional organization representing education researchers in the United States and around the world. AERA's mission is to advance knowledge about education and p ...
* 2005, Member,
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...
* 2003, Award for Distinguished Contributions to the Teaching of Sociology,
American Sociological Association
* 1998, Fellow,
National Academy of Education
The National Academy of Education (NAEd) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization in the United States that advances high-quality research to improve education policy and practice. Founded in 1965, the NAEd currently consists of over 300 elect ...
* 1986, Inaugural Paul F. Lazarsfeld award in research methods,
American Sociological Association
* 1984. Fellow,
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
* 1984, Elected,
American Academy of Arts & Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (abbreviation: AAA&S) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and ...
* 1977,
American Association for the Advancement of Science
* Fellow,
Gerontological Society of America
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) is a multidisciplinary organization devoted to research and education in all aspects of gerontology: medical, biological, psychological and social.
History and organization
The Gerontological Society ...
* Member,
American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association (ASA) is the main professional organization for statisticians and related professionals in the United States. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest continuousl ...
Selected bibliography
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References
External links
Biographical sketch Research proposal
Curriculum Vitae
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hauser, Robert M.
American demographers
American sociologists
Fellows of the American Statistical Association
Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences
University of Chicago alumni
University of Michigan alumni
University of Wisconsin–Madison faculty
Living people
Brown University faculty
Members of the American Philosophical Society
1942 births