Join Dr. Jason Fletcher for a discussion of the book he co-authored The Genome Factor: What the Social Genomics Revolution Reveals about Ourselves, Our History, and the Future.

“I’m very excited to be returning to Knoxville to share my research,” Fletcher said. “My first experiences doing research was as an undergraduate at UT in the economics department and the Center for Business and Economic Research, which gave me many opportunities to learn how to work across disciplines and gather evidence on many policy topics.”

In The Genome Factor, Fletcher and co-author Dalton Conley reveal that there are real genetic differences by racial ancestry, but they don't conform to what we call Black, white, or Latino. Genes explain a significant share of who gets ahead in society and who does not, but instead of giving rise to a genetocracy, genes often act as engines of mobility that counter social disadvantage. The authors also tackle controversial topics such as the future of reproduction in a world where more people are taking advantage of cheap genotyping services like 23andMe.

“It is an honor to discuss my book in the Books Sandwiched In series,” Fletcher said. “I think the ongoing 'social genomics' revolution has many important policy implications worth everyone joining in to discuss and consider—this will be the topic of the discussion related to my book.”

Fletcher is a Romnes Professor of Public Affairs with appointments in Sociology, Agricultural and Applied Economics and Population Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. He has published over 100 academic articles and co-organizes the Integrating Genetics and Social Science Conference. A health economist by training, he has worked to integrate genetics and social science over the past decade, culminating in his book with Dr. Dalton Conley. He is an alum of the University of Tennessee and obtained his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Applied Economics.