Bringing the Wright Class Structures Forward: A Computational and Comparative Analysis of American and French Labor

• In Event: 20202 - Unions and Worker Power in the World Today

Abstract

Applying a relational class analysis, how do workers in a welfare state with strong worker protections compare to those in a weaker welfare state with minimal worker protections in the current era? This study revisits and updates Erik Olin Wright’s class taxonomy to analyze contemporary labor structures in the United States and France. While much of the existing class stratification research relies on occupational categories, income, and education, Wright’s framework provides a class relational approach by identifying class positions based on control over production, organizational authority, and credential-based autonomy. Using survey data collected from 8,000 respondents in both countries, we construct a new computational classification model, CCOWS (Class Classifier Of Wright's Scheme), to systematically apply Wright’s taxonomy in a comparative context. Our findings demonstrate that, despite differences in labor protections and welfare regimes, class relations remain deeply structured along the axes of capital ownership, workplace authority, and skill-based credentials. A key contribution of this study is the application of computational text analysis to classify jobs from open-ended responses, offering a scalable and replicable approach to modernizing class schema applications. We find significant national differences, with the U.S. displaying a higher prevalence of the bourgeoisie and small employers, likely reflecting weaker labor protections and an entrepreneurial culture. In contrast, France exhibits a higher proportion of semi-credentialed workers and lower job autonomy, highlighting the role of a stronger welfare state in shaping workplace structures. Our study bridges the gap between qualitative class theory and quantitative measurement, providing new insights into how class structures evolve in contemporary labor markets. We extend stratification scholarship’s class categories into class relations. This work underscores the continued relevance of relational class analysis and demonstrates the potential of computational methodologies for empirical class research.

Authors

• Jen Schradie, Sciences Po - Paris

• Isabelle Langrock, Sciences Po