Steve Viscelli is an economic sociologist who studies work, labor markets, automation, and public policy. He is currently a Faculty Fellow at the Kleinman Center for Energy Policy and Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Pennsylvania. Steve’s first book The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream explains how deregulation of trucking and the rise of independent contracting turned trucking from one of the best blue-collar jobs in the US into one of the toughest. His current research looks at the impact of self-driving trucks on truckers and ecommerce on last-mile delivery workers. In addition to his academic research, Steve works with a range of public and private stakeholders to make the trucking industry more efficient, safer and a better place to work.
Ph.D. Sociology, Indiana University, 2010
M.A. Anthropology, Syracuse University, 2002
B.A. Sociology, New York University, 1996
Steve Viscelli is an economic and political sociologist who studies inequality, organizations, work and labor markets. His primary research focuses on how state policy and informal labor market institutions shape the behavior of workers and firms. Steve's last project, which examined the effects of deregulation on class relations and the labor process in the trucking industry, culminated in a recently released book, The Big Rig: Trucking and the Decline of the American Dream (2016, University of California Press). His current research is on the “gig economy,” specifically the ride-sharing businesses of Uber and Lyft. In addition to his academic research, Steve is involved in policy-relevant research in the areas of employment relations and energy efficiency.