Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh
Encyclopedia
Sudhir Alladi Venkatesh is an Indian American sociologist and urban ethnographer. Born in India
, he is a professor of sociology
and African-American studies at Columbia University
. He is a board member at Philadelphia-based nonprofit Public/Private Ventures
. In his work, Venkatesh has documented criminal gangs and the drug trade, and has written about the dynamics of the underground economy
including street prostitution
, contributing his findings to the research of economics professor Steven Levitt
.
Venkatesh received a B.A.
in mathematics
from UCSD
in 1988. He attended graduate school at the University of Chicago
where he studied under Professor William Julius Wilson
, focusing on Robert Taylor Homes
, a housing project in Chicago
about which he wrote a book, American Project. Venkatesh also authored a 2008 book titled, Gang Leader For A Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes To The Streets. The book chronicles the life of urban poor in Chicago, particularly the Robert Taylor Homes and the gang, Black Kings, whose leader J.T. he befriended. He found that most foot soldiers in drug gangs make only $3.30 an hour.
In a separate research project with Steven Levitt
, he hired former sex workers to track working street prostitutes in Chicago, finding that they make about $30–$35 an hour, with those working with pimps making more and suffering fewer arrests. A street prostitute was arrested about once per 450 sexual encounters ("tricks"). Condoms were used in only 20% of the contacts.
He has also contributed to Steven Levitt
's Freakonomics
in a chapter entitled, "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Moms?"
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, he is a professor of sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
and African-American studies at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He is a board member at Philadelphia-based nonprofit Public/Private Ventures
Public/Private Ventures
Public/Private Ventures is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, social research and policy organization. Its mission is to improve the effectiveness of policies, programs and community initiatives, especially as they affect vulnerable communities...
. In his work, Venkatesh has documented criminal gangs and the drug trade, and has written about the dynamics of the underground economy
Underground economy
A black market or underground economy is a market in goods or services which operates outside the formal one supported by established state power. Typically the totality of such activity is referred to with the definite article as a complement to the official economies, by market for such goods and...
including street prostitution
Street prostitution
Street prostitution is a form of prostitution in which a sex worker solicits customers from a public place, most commonly a street, while waiting at street corners or walking alongside a street, but also other public places such as parks, beaches, etc. The street prostitute is often dressed in a...
, contributing his findings to the research of economics professor Steven Levitt
Steven Levitt
Steven David "Steve" Levitt is an American economist known for his work in the field of crime, in particular on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates. Winner of the 2004 John Bates Clark Medal, he is currently the William B...
.
Venkatesh received a B.A.
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
in mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
from UCSD
University of California, San Diego
The University of California, San Diego, commonly known as UCSD or UC San Diego, is a public research university located in the La Jolla neighborhood of San Diego, California, United States...
in 1988. He attended graduate school at the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
where he studied under Professor William Julius Wilson
William Julius Wilson
William Julius Wilson is an American sociologist. He worked at the University of Chicago 1972-1996 before moving to Harvard....
, focusing on Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes
Robert Taylor Homes was a housing project in the Bronzeville neighborhood of the South Side of Chicago, on State Street between Pershing Road and 54th Street alongside the Dan Ryan Expressway.-History:...
, a housing project in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
about which he wrote a book, American Project. Venkatesh also authored a 2008 book titled, Gang Leader For A Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes To The Streets. The book chronicles the life of urban poor in Chicago, particularly the Robert Taylor Homes and the gang, Black Kings, whose leader J.T. he befriended. He found that most foot soldiers in drug gangs make only $3.30 an hour.
In a separate research project with Steven Levitt
Steven Levitt
Steven David "Steve" Levitt is an American economist known for his work in the field of crime, in particular on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates. Winner of the 2004 John Bates Clark Medal, he is currently the William B...
, he hired former sex workers to track working street prostitutes in Chicago, finding that they make about $30–$35 an hour, with those working with pimps making more and suffering fewer arrests. A street prostitute was arrested about once per 450 sexual encounters ("tricks"). Condoms were used in only 20% of the contacts.
Books
- American Project. The Rise and Fall of a Modern Ghetto, Harvard University Press, 2000
- Off the Books. The Underground Economy of the Urban Poor, Harvard University Press, 2006
- Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets , Penguin Press HC, 2008
He has also contributed to Steven Levitt
Steven Levitt
Steven David "Steve" Levitt is an American economist known for his work in the field of crime, in particular on the link between legalized abortion and crime rates. Winner of the 2004 John Bates Clark Medal, he is currently the William B...
's Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
in a chapter entitled, "Why Do Drug Dealers Still Live With Their Moms?"
Documentaries
- "Dislocation." In February 2002, families living in the Robert Taylor Homes public housing development were given a 180 day notice of eviction. In six months, the community that had been their home for generations would be demolished. Dislocation chronicles the lives of tenants in one building as they move through the six-month relocation process. http://www.sudhirvenkatesh.org/documentariesfilms/dislocation
- "At-Risk." This book highlights both the experiences of individuals who are operating under conditions of risk and the efforts of organizations who are providing assistance to them. The film will focus on the role of the United States as a place of refuge and a base for advocacy. http://www.sudhirvenkatesh.org/documentariesfilms/at-risk
- "Abhidya" This narrative feature film examines one South Asian-American woman's exposure to the post-9/11 effects on her community. http://www.sudhirvenkatesh.org/documentariesfilms/abhidya
- At the Top of My Voice - a 2009 documentary about events in Georgia in late 2007 and early 2008.
External links
- Venkatesh's official website
- Venkatesh's faculty homepage
- Researcher Studies Gangs by Leading one on NPR website
- Sudhir Venkatesh opinion page at Freakonomics blog
- Everything you always wanted to know about street gangs but didn't know whom to ask Venkatesh answering questions by readers of the Freakonomics blog
- Steven Levitt: the Freakonomics of inner-city gangs (video) Steven Levitt discusses the economics of street gangs and Venkatesh's findings (TED 2004)
- SAJAforum web radio interview with Venkatesh (one hour) - a conversation about his books, his work and academia with Sree Sreenivasan of SAJAforum.org