Inequality of opportunity in educational achievement in Western Europe: contributors and channels

Abstract

We study the contribution of students’ circumstances to inequality of opportunity in educational achievement (IOpE) in Western Europe and explore the role of intermediate channelling vari ables in translating diferences in circumstances into educational inequalities. Using the 2018 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) database, we fnd that diferences in households’ cultural environment and in parental occupation are the most important contribut ing circumstances, with school’s circumstances being relevant mostly in Central Europe. Our results show that the relevant channels of IOpE in most countries are students’ educational and occupational expectations, their reading habits and skills, and grade repetition in previous years. These fndings can provide policymakers with key insights to aid in designing educational inter ventions that efectively increase educational opportunities across European countries.