The Paula Principle

social mobility

Great Gatsby curve

    Ever heard of the Great Gatsby curve?  Nor had I (or should that be, I hadn't)  until I went to a seminar yesterday, and was told that it has             been getting the attention of some important people, including the White House - though whether that includes the actual Person in the White House is not sure. Anyway, the GGC shows a relationship between growing inequality on the one hand and diminishing social mobility (SM) on the other.  This makes pretty good intuitive sense, and also appeals to me politically, ie it's another black mark against increasing inequality.  But the presenter at the…
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Murdering a darling: class trumps gender

I've been murdering a few darlings this weekend.  For anyone unfamiliar with this form of -cide,  it means discarding already written passages in the interests of logic/wordcount/taste etc.    I've been cutting down on the PP bookscript, trying to get through the earlier chapters (on educational crossovers, and on pay differentials) more quickly so the overall argument stands out.    This means junking some things that I think are interesting/important. Here's an example, with some appended reflections it led me to: "We know that family background counts for a lot in a child’s chances of doing well at school and going on to university.   Now let’s look at the other side of our…
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Great Gatsby curve

    Ever heard of the Great Gatsby curve?  Nor had I (or should that be, I hadn't)  until I went to a seminar yesterday, and was told that it has             been getting the attention of some important people, including the White House - though whether that includes the actual Person in the White House is not sure. Anyway, the GGC shows a relationship between growing inequality on the one hand and diminishing social mobility (SM) on the other.  This makes pretty good intuitive sense, and also appeals to me politically, ie it's another black mark against increasing inequality.  But the presenter at the…
Read More

Murdering a darling: class trumps gender

I've been murdering a few darlings this weekend.  For anyone unfamiliar with this form of -cide,  it means discarding already written passages in the interests of logic/wordcount/taste etc.    I've been cutting down on the PP bookscript, trying to get through the earlier chapters (on educational crossovers, and on pay differentials) more quickly so the overall argument stands out.    This means junking some things that I think are interesting/important. Here's an example, with some appended reflections it led me to: "We know that family background counts for a lot in a child’s chances of doing well at school and going on to university.   Now let’s look at the other side of our…
Read More