The Vicious Cycle of Inequality: How Economic Inequality Perpetuates Itself by Creating a Culture of Competitiveness in Schools

forthcoming

The perpetuation of income and wealth inequality across generations threatens the foundations of a fair and stable society. This project investigates the novel idea that economic inequality perpetuates itself by creating a culture of competitiveness among children and adolescents in schools. I propose that contexts of economic inequality increase the importance of status, leading parents and teachers to encourage students to be more competitive. While students from advantaged families often excel in competitive settings, those from disadvantaged families struggle, widening the socioeconomic achievement gap and creating a vicious cycle of inequality. The project has three parts: • PART 1 will combine 66 pre-identified panel datasets, covering 738,190 students from 43 countries, with annual indicators of inequality at the country, region, and school levels. It will test (i) whether rising inequality predicts widening socioeconomic achievement gaps and post-school disparities, and (ii) whether perceived parental and teacher practices explain these trends. • PART 2 will sample 5,000 teachers and 5,000 parents of secondary school students in five countries with various educational systems. It will test (i) whether local inequality predicts parental and teacher practices that encourage competitiveness, and (ii) whether experimentally induced inequality reinforces these trends. • PART 3 will sample 5,000 students across 20 schools to test (i) whether inducing a competitive climate during a task widens the socioeconomic achievement gap, and (ii) an intervention to mitigate this effect. While ambitious, this project is feasible, with partnerships secured with scholars and educational stakeholders across countries. By integrating longitudinal and experimental data from students, teachers, and parents, it will build an innovative multilevel psychosocial framework for understanding the intergenerational transmission of inequality and informing policies to break this cycle.