Economic change and occupational stasis: Puerto Rico as a case study of stratification and development

Abstract

This article analyzes individual-level determinants of occupational status among adults in Puerto Rico to evaluate the applicability of theories of stratification to developing countries that are highly integrated to more industrialized nations. Drawing on microdata from the decennial U.S. census for Puerto Rico, the analysis focuses on the relative importance of labor cohort membership and education for occupational status among employed adults. Puerto Rico's occupational structure reflects only partial convergence with that of developed countries but shows no bifurcation in its status distribution since the 1970s. Net of education, no strong inter-cohort differences in occupational status are found. The evidence does not support the implications of dependency and world systems theories, but is only partially consistent with classical theories of social stratification.