Conclusions

Abstract

Summarizes the findings of the previous 12 empirical chapters and discusses issues in the development of explanatory theories of social mobility. The chapter also addresses two sorts of explanation of variations in social mobility: micro-models in which the role of education is central, and macro-models, which seek to relate mobility to features of societies as a whole such as their level of inequality and of economic development. The chapter looks at the policy consequences that follow from our results, particularly as these concern the role of the educational system. A final assessment in which the adequacy of existing theories of social mobility is called into doubt concludes the chapter.

Welfare states and social inequality: Key issues in contemporary cross-national research on social stratification and mobility

“…These data files include information on women as well, which Erikson and Goldthorpe did not include. 28 The national studies in this book, as well as the comparative cross-national analyses performed by Luijkx (2004a, 2004b), show a tendency over time for increasing social fluidity, or openness, in 9 out of 11 countries included (Breen & Luijkx, 2004a, 2004b.1). 29 The transition from agricultural societies to industrial; and later, the coming of post-industrial societies have also implied that the occupational structures have become more similar across 27 There has been a development in data comparability and methodology since the first collaborative projects ".…”

“…. For women the picture is very similar" (Breen & Luijkx, 2004a, 2004b societies; a fact that might have a bearing on the relative openness of societies as well.…”

“…The Social Mobility in Europe book also include a brief discussion on the impact of welfare state regimes on social mobility: "This leads to the conclusion that direct political intervention of the kinds associated with state-socialist [Poland and Hungary] and social democratic societies [Norway and Sweden] may be one means by which a society may reach relatively high rates of fluidity" (Breen & Luijkx, 2004a, 2004b.…”

“…. well developed and testable behavioural theories of the social fluidity regime" (Breen & Luijkx, 2004a, 2004b) the authors utilize cross-national datasets from 11 countries for testing the OED relations. Theories of industrialism and the importance of qualifications for access to jobs in the post-industrial society, should lead us to expect origin to have less impact on education and destination, and the education-destination association to strengthen.…”

A different glimpse into mobilities: On the interrelations between daily spatial mobility and social mobility

“…Women's social mobility has traditionally been more limited than men's (Payne and Abbott 2005). Education, although typically seen as a vehicle for reducing inheritance of social positions over generations, today does not guarantee such mobility (Breen and Luijkx 2004;cf. Breen 2010).…”