Dr Julia Gumy
Small Group Project 2015-16
Keeping Up or Falling Behind? Personal debt: examining the role of social comparison and income inequality across Europe
With Leen Vandecasteele
This project examines the role of inequality for personal debt uptake in Europe. Up until the global economic crisis personal debt levels have soared in most Western countries. Similarly, these countries have experienced increases in income inequality (Giesecke & Verwiebe, 2009; Machin, 2003; OECD, 2008; Smeeding, 2005). It is now well documented that income inequality hinders economic growth (OECD, 2014), negatively affects health and accentuates social disadvantage (Wilkinson and Pickett, 2009). We argue that income inequality is also a driver of debt accumulation.
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Biography
Julia Gumy is Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Bristol.
Her research is interdisciplinary and primarily quantitative combining aspects of sociology, social policy and economics to answer questions related to well-being, gender and the labour market over the life course.
Julia was previously a Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Kent (UK). She holds an BSc degree in Economics (University of Salamanca, Spain), a MSc degree in Social Policy (University of Leuven, Belgium) and a PhD in Sociology (University of Cambridge, UK).
Her research is interdisciplinary and primarily quantitative combining aspects of sociology, social policy and economics to answer questions related to well-being, gender and the labour market over the life course.
Julia was previously a Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Kent (UK). She holds an BSc degree in Economics (University of Salamanca, Spain), a MSc degree in Social Policy (University of Leuven, Belgium) and a PhD in Sociology (University of Cambridge, UK).
Biographical details correct as of 21.05.26