ABSTRACT
Social mobility has been a centrepiece of government policy in the United Kingdom since the New Labour election victory of 1997. Its importance derives from the accommodation between neo-liberalism and social democracy that characterized Tony Blair’s ‘third way’ politics, in which the inequalities associated with market economics were to be legitimized by a more open society. Education was positioned as a key factor in achieving this goal, and the assumption that equalizing educational opportunity could help to increase social mobility became entrenched in government circles. However, it has been known for many years that educational and social mobility are not automatically linked. This chapter considers the meaning of social mobility and approaches to its measurement, and explores the relationship between education and social mobility. It begins with the conceptual basis of class mobility studies, including the concepts of absolute mobility and social fluidity. It then reviews patterns of change and difference in social mobility within and between countries. The chapter considers ways in which education may influence social destination, and introduces the triangle of associations between origins, education, and destinations. The chapter concludes that social congestion, rather than social mobility, is the likely outcome of educational expansion.
