Caitlin Daniel
I am interested in culture, health, inequality, family, and the sociology of food. My research examines how parents across the socioeconomic spectrum decide what to feed their children at a time of heightened concern about what we eat. I am particularly interested in the interaction between parents' economic resources and their ideas about food. I write about why parents defer to their children's preferences for economic reasons, why low-income families purchase bottled water even when they have no concerns about tap water, and how parents evaluate the food choices of their peers and themselves. I integrate insights from cultural sociology, public health, and behavioral economics. I am also studying the social dynamics of a food pantry.