Social mobility: meanings and policy prescriptions

1. Social mobility: meanings and policy prescriptions Jo Blanden The Bridge Group Inaugural Seminar

2. Outline • What do we mean by social mobility? • Does Britain have a mobility problem? • What are the policy prescriptions for universities and the professions?

3. What do we mean by social mobility? • Economists measure relative mobility • To what extent do individuals move income group compared to where they start? • Sociologists measure movements in social class • Can be measured in absolute or relative terms. • Absolute social class mobility has in the past been easier to achieve • Will it be now?

4. Does Britain have a mobility problem? • My own research has shown a fall in intergenerational income mobility (but quite dated). • More recent research is more positive. • Research on social class does not paint quite the same picture, although UK doesn’t show such positive trends as other nations. • As far as we can tell, the UK is not a great international performer.

5. Source: Blanden (2009) ‘How much can we learn from international comparisons of Intergenerational mobility?’

6. What’s the evidence-base on university and the professions? • Are inequalities in educational and professional achievement primarily because children from disadvantaged backgrounds are less able? • Administrative data shows that background variables had no impact on university participation rates given the same A level score. • But age 11 attainment could only explain half of the gap. • Implies that ‘innate’ attainment does not explain education inequalities, what goes on between 11 and 16 (and before, of course) has a huge effect. • There is an impact of background on institutional background even for those with the same A levels, but its small. • Educational background matters more than money. • Professionals have become more privileged but (slightly) less smart (Macmillan, Fair Access to the Professions).

7. Notice largest effects for doctors, lawyers, bankers, journalists, and accountants

8. Notice effects for doctors, lawyers, stock brokers, teachers, bankers and accountants

9. What should be done? • Data, data, data • A lot of the evidence we are relying on is rather old. • Much of it points towards gaps emerging early rather than at university entry. • Information is crucial. • It appears that attention now needs to be turned to institution and subject choice. • So is follow up. • Important to know how successful policies are, and what happens to their recipients. • We need to guard against criticisms that money is wasted.

10. Some preliminary statistics No evidence that Medicine and Law are out of line with the overall picture. Source: Machin and Murphy (2010) ‘Increasing university income from home and overseas students: what impact for social mobility?’ Preliminary.