Educational Inequality: Can We Do Better? with Herman Van De Werfhorst

Hosts: Marius R. Busemeyer – Professor of Comparative Political Economy at the University of Konstanz and Speaker of the Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality”. Gabriele Spilker – Professor of International Politics – Global Inequality at the University of Konstanz and Co-Speaker of the Cluster.Guest: Herman Van De Werfhorst – Professor of Sociology at the European University Institute in Florence. His research focuses on educational inequality, social mobility, and comparative education systems. He previously served as founding director of the Amsterdam Centre for Inequality Studies.Episode OverviewHow much does family background shape educational opportunities? In this episode, Marius R. Busemeyer and Gabriele Spilker speak with Herman Van De Werfhorst about the causes of educational inequality, why it persists across generations, and what governments can do to create fairer education systems. The conversation explores how socioeconomic background influences educational achievement and attainment, why early tracking often reinforces inequality, and whether there is really a trade-off between educational excellence and equal opportunities.Episode HighlightsWhat Drives Educational Inequality?Educational outcomes are strongly shaped by family background, expectations, and available resources.Differences emerge through both academic performance and educational choices.Cultural and social resources often matter as much as financial ones.Tracking, Testing, and OpportunityEarly tracking tends to increase educational inequality.Standardized testing can reduce bias and improve equal opportunities.Flexible education systems allow students to develop their potential over time.Can Education Systems Become Fairer?Countries differ in how strongly educational institutions reproduce inequality.Political decisions and institutional reforms play a crucial role.Research suggests that greater equality of opportunity does not come at the expense of educational performance.Links & Further ReadingMore about the Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality”: www.exc.uni-konstanz.de/inequalityFurther readings: Birkelund, J. F., & Van De Werfhorst, H. G. (2022): Long-term labor market returns to upper secondary school track choice: Leveraging idiosyncratic variation in peers’ choices. Social Science Research, 102, 102629. Van De Werfhorst, H. G. (2024): Is Meritocracy Not So Bad After All? Educational Expansion and Intergenerational Mobility in 40 Countries. American Sociological Review, 89(6), 1181–1213. Van De Werfhorst, H., ten Dam, G., Geven, S., Huijsmans, T., Mennes, H., Mulder, L., van Slageren, J., & Van der Meer, T. (2025): Track Differences in Civic and Democratic Engagement During Secondary Education: A New Panel Study From the Netherlands. The British Journal of Sociology, 76(5), Contact: [email protected] episodes every first Wednesday of the month – subscribe and stay tuned!