The Variation in Liberal and Radical Inequality of Opportunity across Countries
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21079302 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Guillaume Bornet, G M Bornet (FORS – Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences), Michael Grätz (0000-0001-7920-1021, FORS – Swiss Centre of Expertise in the Social Sciences, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 105 |
| Pages | 101171 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Research in Social Stratification and Mobility (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0276-5624 • E-ISSN: 1878-5654 |
| Publisher | Elsevier BV (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.rssm.2026.101171 |
| OpenAlex | W4411585751 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
Theories of equality of opportunity disagree about which factors affecting life chances are considered unjust. We distinguish between liberal inequality of opportunity, which considers the impact of ascribed characteristics such as gender, immigrant background, and social origin on life chances to be unjust, and radical inequality of opportunity, which additionally considers the effects of skills on life chances to be unjust, on the grounds that skills are themselves shaped by circumstances beyond individual control. Using data from 25 countries in the 2022/23 PIAAC survey, we test whether liberal inequality of opportunity, measured as the variance explained by ascribed characteristics, varies more across countries than radical inequality of opportunity, measured as the variance explained by ascribed characteristics and skills. We further test whether either conception is associated with a country’s level of income inequality, a relationship known as the Great Gatsby Curve (GGC). Contrary to our expectations, radical inequality of opportunity varies more across countries than liberal inequality of opportunity, and neither conception is associated with income inequality. These results indicate that the cross-national picture of inequality of opportunity depends on the conception adopted, and that the GGC holds for neither conception in our data
Development economics · Economics · Inequality · Physics · Political science · Variation (astronomy) · Mathematics · Social Policy and Reform Studies · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics
More inequality, less social mobility
Life‐Cycle Variations in the Association between Current and Lifetime Income
Income Inequality, Intergenerational Mobility, and the Great Gatsby Curve
Cross‐country Rankings in Intergenerational Mobility
Cross-national differences in social background effects on educational attainment and achievement
What we have learned
Sibling Similarity in Education Across and Within Societies
The Total Effect of Social Origins on Educational Attainment
Historical Patterns in the Intergenerational Transmission of Lifespan and Longevity
Liberal and radical inequality of opportunity in Sweden
Parental Schooling, Educational Attainment, Skills, and Earnings
Four Conceptions of Equal Opportunity
Intergenerational Mobility and Equality of Opportunity
The Relation between Inequality and Intergenerational Class Mobility in 39 Countries
Income Inequality, Equality of Opportunity, and Intergenerational Mobility
Inequality of Opportunity in Comparative Perspective
An Analytical Approach to the Theory of Social Stratification
Ability and mobility
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |