Opportunities For Social Mobility Research Articles

Equality of opportunity and human capital accumulation: Motivational effect of a nationwide scholarship in Colombia

We study the ex ante motivational effect of a nationwide merit and need-based scholarship in Colombia, which granted full scholarships to low-income students at high-quality universities. Specifically, we analyze how the opportunity to receive the scholarship, influenced the performance of low-income students in the national high-school exit and 9th grade exams, and their university enrollment rates. Following a differences-in-discontinuity design, we find that the opportunity to receive the scholarship significantly increased test scores at the national high school exit exam at the top of the distribution. At the 90th percentile of the distribution, eligibility for the scholarship reduced the socioeconomic achievement gap by 16 percent. We also document an increase in the post-secondary enrollment of low-income students at the top of their score distribution, even for the non-recipients of the scholarship. Finally, we estimate a positive effect on the test scores of younger 9th grade students, affecting a broader range of the distribution. Our results highlight how opportunities for social mobility encourage human capital accumulation by low-income students, thus contributing to breaking the persistence of poverty and inequality.

Integration Experiences of Former Afghan Refugees in Australia: What Challenges Still Remain after Becoming Citizens?

This paper explores, analyses, and documents the experiences of Afghan-Australians who arrived in Australia as refugees and were granted citizenship after living in Australia for several years. This research adopted a mixed method of qualitative and quantitative approaches and surveyed 102 people, interviewed 13 participants, and conducted two focus-groups within its research design. Analysis of data indicates that former Afghan refugees gradually settled down and integrated within Australian society. They value safety and security, open democracy and orderly society of Australia, as well as accessing to education and healthcare services and opportunity for social mobility. However, since the integration is a long process, they are also facing some challenges in this area. Findings of this study show that Afghan-Australians require more support from Australian governments to overcome some of these challenges particularly securing employment within their area of interests and professional occupations that they have qualifications and experiences from Afghanistan. They are also experiencing broader challenges in the area of socio-cultural issues within Australian society. Since the Afghan community is an emerging community in Western Australia, they require more support from local government to enhance their ethnic cohesion and solidarity.

The Application of Human Capital Theory and Educational Signalling Theory to Explain Parental Influences on the Chinese Population’s Social Mobility Opportunities

Existing studies argue life chances are, in part, vertically reproduced. Such a statement is applicable to the Chinese contexts as, but not limited to, parental hukou status, to some extent, determines the life chances their children receive. In this essay, the author would like to introduce human capital theory (HCT) and educational signalling theory (EST), and assess how the applications of each of these two models can enrich the understanding of vertical reproduction of individuals’ social mobility opportunities. The author would also present the limitations of each of these two models when addressing relevant Chinese contexts.

Contraddizioni. Il tempo delle città come deserti

In this time spent waiting for solutions that will allow us to once again acquire a stable condition for our economies, for the geopolitical equilibrium of the world population, we have been forced to acquire greater awareness of our present, of the fact that the extractive imperialist dimension towards of the planet's resources combined with population growth has potentially exhausted the opportunities for social mobility, for effective progress. This brings us to an undisputed condition of social, cultural and economic impoverishment. The current push towards a circular economy that must rapidly supplant that of consumption in relation to the virtuous, but not without shadows, practices of the Green New Deal offers us, in the midst of the uncertain evolution of the spread of COVID 19, the opportunity to bring at the center of the discussion is the relationship of care that individuals must establish with the environment, with the resources of nature and with the landscape, from which a new biocentric alliance arises that allows us, thanks to our adaptability, to 'resist in order to relive' .

Social stratification in the sociological theory of P. Bourdieu

The relevance of the work is due to the transformations of the modern system of social stratification and opportunities for social mobility, as well as the need to find relevant approaches for their study. The article is devoted to reconstruction in a holistic form of the main provisions of the theory of social stratification of P. Bourdieu. His vision of the social structure of modern society is original and based on numerous empirical studies. The article analyzes the methodological foundations and features of the theory of social stratification of the French sociologist. Heuristic potential of one of modern constructivist methodological approaches to analysis of social stratification and social mobility is considered. P. Bourdieu significantly contributed to the fact that the sociological explanation of the modern system of social stratification is being transformed. He described the main characteristics of the social structure of a post-industrial society, the main trends in its development, developed proposals for using some categories necessary to explain it. Developing his own theory of habitus and the theory of social capital, P. Bourdieu proposes to explore the position of the individual, which is represented through a lifestyle. Bourdieu’s theory of social stratification can be applied to the problems of modern social inequality. The author of the article made an attempt to trace the research logic of the French sociologist, as well as show the relationship of various blocks of the theory of social stratification.

School Education for the Indigenous Small-Numbered Peoples of the North: Between Cultural Preservation and Educational Quality

Today, many ethnic minorities belong to the so-called “culture of poverty”, and education can be a major vehicle of upward social mobility for such groups. This article explores the characteristics of school education in the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North living in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) of Russia, the educational trajectories pursued by indigenous youths, and how their preferences are influenced by national education policy and the ethnic component of education. Data from a sociological survey of youth in areas of compact settlement of the indigenous peoples of the North and Unified State Exam (USE) scores served as the empirical basis of this study. Analysis of indigenous education policy documents allows making an inference that, even though the problems of teaching indigenous languages and setting up nomadic schools have been widely discussed, approaches to solving them are rather formalistic. At the same time, little attention is paid to problems experienced by stationary schools located in areas of compact settlement of the indigenous peoples of the North, which has negative effects on children’s starting opportunities and the development of their educational strategies. Interest in higher education has been noticeably decreasing among young people aged under 19, and educational inequality in the Sakha Republic (Yakutia) has been exacerbated by the COVID‑19 pandemic. For the indigenous small-numbered peoples of the North, social mobility opportunities hinge upon Internet access, so low levels of education digitalization in localities inhabited by indigenous peoples (compared to regional and national levels) predict a negative scenario for social wellbeing of this category of population.

Power and control in science: a case study of a syllabus for science and technology

This article explores the recontextualization of science in the Malawi Standard 6 syllabus for science and technology. It illustrates how relations of power and social control are enacted, using Bernstein’s concepts of classification and vertical and horizontal discourse. The syllabus incorporates five ‘disciplines’: science, technology, health, housecraft and marketing. Integration of science and non-science content weakens inter-disciplinary boundaries. Horizontal discourse is more prevalent than vertical discourse, further weakening access to powerful knowledge inherent in science. Horizontal discourse is particularly evident in housecraft, much of which appears more relevant to future employment than to everyday life in Malawi. Indigenous or local knowledge is validated through its inclusion in the syllabus. The syllabus illustrates Bernstein’s concerns about the adverse effects of including horizontal discourse into vertical discourse, thereby limiting opportunities for social mobility. The article ends by questioning the relevance of Bernstein’s theory of the pedagogic device for developing countries.

The Poorest After the Pandemic

Many developing countries have large populations at risk of falling into chronic poverty due to threats to their health and livelihoods. Despite global poverty reduction over recent decades, many remain near-poor, and an episode of ill health or job loss can plunge a household into poverty. The coronavirus pandemic threatens to send tens of millions of people around the world below the poverty line. Some countries are especially unprepared to protect their people from health and economic shocks. They should focus on reforms to improve access to health care, secure work, and opportunities for social mobility.

Social (Im)Mobility and Social Work with Families with Children. Case Study of a Disadvantaged Microregion in Hungary

The aim of this study was to analyze the perception of families and concerned social workers. The research was conducted in an underprivileged and disadvantaged microregion in North Hungary. The main focus was on the available health, educational, child welfare, and social services and supports. The starting point was to enquire about the target group’s knowledge of these services. The study examined the extent to which social work is able to provide support to disadvantaged, marginalized families with children and the way the dysfunctional operation of the system contributes to the perpetuation of the clients’ living conditions. Analyzing the quality of these services and supports is crucial to understanding the social mobility opportunities of the children living in this microregion. The results show that without capability and talent development for the children and given the lack of welfare services, the social mobility opportunities of these families are extremely low in Hungary.

Why Italy Needs an Entrepreneurial Renaissance after COVID-19

New firms play a critical role in the economy. They disrupt markets with new technologies, offer social mobility opportunities, and support labor market dynamism. As much as any society should nurture and help its new generations to prosper and grow, its economy will be significantly disadvantaged without the contribution of new firms. Not surprisingly, therefore, the consequences that the COVID-19 pandemic might have on new firms’ creation and growth are a critical area of attention. In this chapter, we navigate this complex landscape using entrepreneurship as our compass to sketch Italy’s strengths and weaknesses and reflect on how they could be affected by the disruptions that the whole world is now facing.

A lucrative end: abolition, immigration, and the new occupational hierarchy in southeast Brazil

Impending abolition of slavery in Brazil during the late nineteenth century meant the potential shortage of labor for southeast coffee planters. In preparation, the province of Sao Paulo subsidized, in part and then in full, the travel expenses of Europeans who migrated there. To what extent was the program successful in capping the wage bill of planters after emancipation? How did the occupational distribution by race change as compared to other regions without such a program? Consolidated evidence on wages and the value of output indicates that the return to labor actually increased after abolition, as did rural and urban employment segregation in favor of whites over blacks; in contrast, economic growth elsewhere in the Americas was more subdued and alternatives like sharecropping prevailed. This work integrates the traditional immigration literature with recent Afro-Brazilianist perspectives: New earnings estimates confirm that Europeans were exploited to nearly the same extent as slaves, yet non-monetary benefits and racism may have supported the former group’s opportunities for social mobility.

Help-Seeking Behaviors as Cultural Capital: Cultural Guides and the Transition from High School to College among Low-Income First Generation Students

AbstractThis article argues that educational institutions can transmit cultural capital in the form of help-seeking dispositions (feeling empowered to ask for and receive help) and specialized knowledge (information about how to gain access to resources) that can positively impact students’ academic outcomes. Additionally, this article questions the perception that educational institutions function primarily as agents of social reproduction, by showing that institutional agents such as high school teachers and administrators can function as “cultural guides” to bolster students’ opportunities for social mobility. Drawing on interviews with graduates of King and Chavez, two early college high schools which target low-income, first-generation college students, I find that King graduates were more strategic help-seekers and were more likely to use campus-based resources than their counterparts at Chavez, in part because their school’s curriculum explicitly and systematically taught this skill. This article challenges the perception that teachers and administrators function exclusively as gatekeepers in educational institutions. Instead, the data presented show that these institutional agents can also function as “cultural guides” who transmit cultural capital in the form of help-seeking values and behaviors to students from economically marginalized communities; promoting their upward mobility.

When All Comes Crumbling Down

Based on ethnographic research in a local RCCG congregation, the Jesus House in Midtown, Sweden, this article focuses on the meaning of pastorship to its founding pastor, John, and on the nature of the relationship between John and his congregation. Results show that to John, pastorship means hard work but also an opportunity for social mobility. As he founded the Jesus House, John took on considerable financial risk, realistically turning him into a church-owner. Furthermore, the relationship between pastor and congregation implies a contract where John is expected to protect his congregants from illness and death. As a congregant dies, a crisis hits and the congregation starts to break apart. In order to save his congregation, John first appeals to his own spiritual powers, but then resorts to pleading to the structures of plausibility within the congregation. As the paper argues, this shows the importance of both cognitive and relational aspects of meaning-making.

Transacting Caste in Modern Times: Changing Social Identity through Surnames in Urban Gujarat

With rapid socio-economic changes in Gujarat, the practice of untouchability also has changed. Surnames have always been important markers for caste, but in a globalizing urban environment, it has become perhaps the most prominent marker of caste identity and therefore carrier of discrimination. Caste revealing surnames can result in ostracization of Dalits and exclusion from institutional and non-institutional resources, such as housing, private sector jobs, education, business and marriage, etc. Many Dalits, in order to access the mainstream society, increasingly attempt to ‘pass’ as non-untouchables or as ‘pure’ caste-Hindus by changing surnames. This study explores the phenomenon of changing surnames among Dalits and how it affects their opportunities for social mobility. Why do Dalits want to change their social identity by changing surnames? Does changing social identity accommodate Dalits as equals with the Savarnas? What are the risks and uncertainties after changing the surname? This paper addresses these questions and assesses the impact of changing surnames on the lives of urban Dalits.

Places of Otherness

This article looks at two urban landscapes critical for mobility within the Global South: Eastleigh, Kenya, and Xiaobei, China. While different, they are both centers of global trade that attract migrants seeking livelihoods, and are also regarded with great ambivalence within the countries that host them. We explore this ambivalence, showing how it links to fear of the “others” who animate them, and to broader politics in which migrants become caught. Such places often simultaneously attract members of the host society for a taste of the other, or business opportunities, yet also repel and induce fear as places of danger. For the migrant population, there is also ambivalence—as they are places that offer both opportunity for social mobility, yet also places of hard lives and immobility. In short, both are critical nodes in patterns of South-South mobility where dynamics of such mobility and reaction to it can be understood.

Social class and mobility: student narratives of class location in English higher education

ABSTRACT This paper explores ways in which university students articulate understandings of their class positions and perceptions of opportunities for social mobility. The promise that participation in higher education (HE) would lead to social mobility for all has been central to the project of widening participation. However, in the twenty-first century, graduate employment opportunities have not kept up with high rates of HE participation, and class divisions have become more visible rather than being reduced. Based on a longitudinal study of undergraduates attending two universities in the city of Bristol, UK at the beginning of the 2010s, this paper uses Anthias’ notion of narratives of location to focus on students’ awareness of social class and their experience of the dynamics of social difference in HE. The narratives demonstrate ways in which taken-for-granted privileged middle-class entitlement is performed and seen to dominate the social space of the university, from which working-class and other fractions of the middle-classes distance themselves. [Anthias, F. (2004) Social stratification and social inequality: Models of intersectionality and identity. In F. Devine, M. Savage, J. Scott, & R. Crompton (Eds.), Rethinking class. Culture, identities and lifestyles (pp. 24–45). London: Palgrave Macmillan].

Психологические аспекты социальной мобильности современной молодежи

The paper presents the modern approaches to the research of social mobility, in particular, of Russian youth. It is determined that the key aspects of the process of social mobility of an individual are the presence of certain psychological features and external objective factors that stimulate the transition of an individual from one social group to another. The role of value orientations, behavior motivation, interests, needs, perception features, level of education as well as the impact of mass media and belonging to a certain stratum on the possibility of social mobility of the younger generation are revealed. It is emphasized that higher education is a tool of vertical mobility, which forms labor values that generate labor activity and professional growth, is not in demand in the present reality due to the ongoing transformations in the economy. However, ambiguous access to development resources exacerbates inequality of opportunities for social mobility. The continuing orientation to the achievable type of values among young people, paired with discrimination on a basis of professional interests occurring in the existing realities, lack of demand, economic and social marginality, forms deprivation, lack of confidence, and generates social deviations.

Teaching and learning guide for: A Sociological Review of China's Social Credit Systems and Guanxi Opportunities for Social Mobility

Teaching and learning guide for: A Sociological Review of China's Social Credit Systems and Guanxi Opportunities for Social Mobility

Identity, Social Mobility, and Trauma: Post-Conflict Educational Realities for Survivors of the Rohingya Genocide

The Rohingya refugee crisis is a humanitarian disaster with over 740,000 Rohingya leaving their homes in Rakhine State, Myanmar, since August 2017. In the process of this mass exodus, thousands have been brutally murdered and terrorized through a campaign of physical attacks by the Myanmar state including murder, beatings and mutilations; mass gang rape and sexual slavery of women and girls; and the burning of entire villages. The victims have been men, women, and children who were targeted because they belonged to a Muslim minority ethnic group. The crisis has been recognized as genocide by officials from several countries including Canada, France, Gambia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Philippines, and Turkey. Furthermore, a recent ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered Myanmar to take all necessary measures to prevent the genocide of the Rohingya. The genocide of the Rohingya has resulted in a massive number of refugees fleeing to Bangladesh, with 1.1 million of an estimated 2.4 million Rohingya across the world currently encamped there. This crisis has led to questions about how the basic needs of these refugees are being met and if there is any possibility for a life beyond the refugee camps through educational programming. This study explores the educational realities of Rohingya refugees through a process of open-ended and semi-structured interviews of aid workers and educators working in the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh. Through examining the educational programming in these camps, this article aims to better understand the educational opportunities for social mobility, identity preservation, and the availability of religious instruction to the Rohingya. The findings of this study suggest that religious instruction centers may serve to improve gender- based educational gaps for adolescent Rohingya women.

Una perspectiva comparada de un grupo gremial en la Península: los plateros de Córdoba y los orífices de Évora durante la Edad Moderna

En el presente artículo presentamos las mudanzas y continuidades en el gremio de plateros entre dos ciudades del sur: Évora en Portugal y Córdoba en Castilla. Ambos escenarios cuentan con características únicas, pero desde el punto de vista institucional y político se desarrollaron en ellos procesos muy similares. La práctica de la endogamia socioprofesional refuerza esta idea de que el mundo del trabajo y los lazos de parentesco formaban parte de un mismo bloque que determinaba, al menos en parte, la identidad de los individuos y la identidad de los grupos. La combinación de ambas esferas ofrecía oportunidades de ascenso social pero también de fracaso, principalmente si se contaba con algún pariente o ascendiente que tuviese antecedentes judeoconversos o penitenciados. Veremos casos particulares a lo largo de este trabajo.