Social Mobility

The Social Mobility Trap and why politicians fall into it

by Andy Westwood October 26, 2012

Alan Milburn’s recent report into social mobility and higher education says little that is really controversial or particularly surprising. He has outlined the data that shows up the unequal admissions across universities and surveyed the policies that have aimed to address it – from the National Scholarship Programme to Aimhigher. But his central question too easily repeats the widespread assertion that social mobility in the UK has at best stalled or at worst is in decline. And that this has largely happened since the 1990s. But he is at least partly wrong.

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Social Mobility, the very idea

by Martin McQuillan October 19, 2012

‘Social mobility’ is now the central trope in the public discussion of university tuition fees and the guiding principle of HE policy. Given that social mobility is only a possible side effect of a university education not its primary purpose; we are entitled to ask how we arrived at this confusing situation in which the tail seems to be wagging the dog. In the week that Alan Milburn published his review of social mobility and higher education, we take one step back and look at the concept of ‘social mobility’ itself and its complicated relationship with universities.

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