Spatial division of opportunity

Local Economic Context, Elite Trajectories, and the Widening Participation Industry

Datos Bibliográficos

ID3977837
AutoresJoanne Davies (0000-0002-3742-761X, University of Bath, autor de correspondencia), Michael Donnelly (0000-0003-3357-8178, University of Bath)
Año2024
Volumen25
Número6
Páginas852-871
Fecha de publicación2024-07-02
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial & Cultural Geography (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1464-9365 • E-ISSN: 1470-1197
EditorialInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14649365.2023.2203119
OpenAlexW4367180524
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas5
Referencias citadas19

The importance of geography in debates around education and labour market inequality is an enduring public policy concern. This paper argues that local economic contexts have a role in shaping the kind of university and career trajectories working-class young people are exposed to. Drawing on multi-sited data on working-class young people in different local contexts across England, it underlines the importance of regional economic development, the geography of elite universities and the spatial patterning of widening participation networks and activity. In the capital, a sophisticated widening participation infrastructure exists – including multiple partnerships between schools and the third and private sectors – which far exceeds the networks and support found elsewhere. Combined with London's high economic capital and elite career pathways, this infrastructure greatly facilitates systems of support designed to drive aspirations to elite universities and careers. Whilst advocating for a fairer distribution of educational opportunities nationwide, we argue that, without acknowledging the origins of spatial imbalances within the UK, any attempt at simply 'spreading out the same' opportunities risks offering a superficial response. If long-term change is to be truly advanced, a more systematic dismantling of how economic functions and social relations are configured spatially must first be achieved

Capital (architecture · Class (philosophy · Context (archaeology · Division of labour · Economic geography · Economic growth · Economics · Elite · Geography · Inequality · Local economic development · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Spatial inequality · Working class · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Higher Education Research Studies · Youth Education and Societal Dynamics