The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us

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Prof. Mark Robert Rank

The Random Factor

How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us

Prof. Mark Robert Rank

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Hardback

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English

University of California Press
31 May 2024

Probability & statistics; Self-help & personal development

A poverty expert reveals how truly random the world is—including how economic inequality is experienced—and how we can learn to acknowledge chance and appreciate it.

It's comforting to think that we can be successful because we work hard, climb ladders, and get what we deserve, but each of us has been profoundly touched by randomness. Chance is shown to play a crucial role in shaping outcomes across history, throughout the natural world, and in our everyday lives. In The Random Factor, Mark Robert Rank draws from a wealth of evidence, including interviews and research, to explain how luck and chance play out and reveals how we can use these lessons to guide our personal lives and public policies.

The Random Factor traverses luck from macro to micro, from events like the Cuban Missile Crisis to our personal encounters and relationships. From his perspective as a scholar of poverty, Rank also delves into the class and race dynamics of chance, emphasizing the stark disparities it brings to light. This transformative book prompts a new understanding of the twists and turns in our daily lives and encourages readers to fully appreciate the surprising world of randomness in which we live.

By: Prof. Mark Robert Rank
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 30mm
Weight: 544g
ISBN: 9780520390966
ISBN 10: 0520390962
Pages: 302
Publication Date: 31 May 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Mark Robert Rank is Herbert S. Hadley Professor of Social Welfare at Washington University in St. Louis. He has received numerous awards for his scholarship and books, and his research has been reported in a wide range of national and international media.

Reviews for The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World around Us

""Much of the power of the book comes from Rank’s discussion of 'chance and luck' operating at a far more mundane level in the lives of ordinary people. Rank makes a strong case, in particular, that whether a person winds up in poverty is largely the result of factors outside their control."" * Jacobin * ""Rank’s focus on the interplay between social structure, individual agency, and randomness adds an important dimension to discussions of social mobility and outcomes. The book encourages sociologists to incorporate randomness into their research framework, which could yield deeper insights into the ways that seemingly arbitrary events influence larger societal trends."" * Social Forces *