Signals, educational decision-making, and inequality
A comment on the formal model by Holm, Hjorth-Trolle, and Jæger
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11655009 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Gordey Yastrebov (0000-0002-6100-4270, University of Cologne, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 5 |
| Pages | 834-840 |
| Publication date | 2023-02-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | European Sociological Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0266-7215 • E-ISSN: 1468-2672 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/esr/jcac041 |
| OpenAlex | W4318937136 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 16 |
In this comment, I explore the assumptions and the implications of the formal (mathematical) model proposed by Holm, Hjorth-Trolle, and Jæger (HHJ) in their article in European Sociological Review, 35(4) (2019). The model links educational decision-making to social background inequality and academic ability and is said to conform to the key propositions of the Relative-Risk-Aversion theory and the Compensatory-Advantage-Model. Its most original component is that it allows for the error in estimating one’s ability, which, once known, impacts on the decision to (dis)continue education. The error is said to have a differential impact on students of different social backgrounds, whereby social inequality in educational decisions is effectively maintained. The model also deserves attention and praise as one of the few attempts in our field to reason formally and provide a mathematical formulation of theoretical arguments. However, I scrutinize the model and show that (i) some of its assumptions may not be defensible; that (ii) the most interesting and original hypothesis proposed by HHJ does not follow from the model; and that (iii) the empirical implications of the model are wrongly interpreted in terms of probability differences. I then show which particular assumption is required for HHJ’s most original hypothesis to hold. The assumption is non-intuitive, and I conclude that the hypothesis, as formulated by HHJ, does not have a sound theoretical basis
Basis (linear algebra · Econometrics · Economics · Educational inequality · Epistemology · Inequality · Mathematical economics · Positive economics · Praise · Advanced Causal Inference Techniques · Income, Poverty, and Inequality · Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies · Mathematics · Psychology · Social Psychology
Chapter Nine. Testing the Breen-Goldthorpe Model of Educational Decision Making
Measuring Expectations
Signals, Educational Decision-Making, and Inequality
Comparing Regression Coefficients Between Same-sample Nested Models Using Logit and Probit
Explaining Educational Differentials
Relative risk aversion models
Comparing Logit and Probit Coefficients Across Groups
On Group Comparisons With Logistic Regression Models
Correlations and Nonlinear Probability Models
Compensatory Advantage as a Mechanism of Educational Inequality
Mathematics in Sociology
Mathematical Models in Sociology
Previous School Results and Social Background
Logistic Regression
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,5 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2024 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |