The educational inequality in competitive educational society: Boosting advantage and Compensatory advantage

• In Event: 30620 - Section on Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 1: Education, Poverty, and Inequality

Abstract

Educational inequality remains a persistent issue globally. The OECD acknowledges the need to address disparities in educational opportunities, emphasizing that ability development should not depend on family background, and equally talented students should have the same opportunities regardless of wealth. The structure of educational systems significantly influences inequality. Turner (1960) differentiates between contest and sponsored mobility, with Japan and the U.S. following contest mobility, while the U.K. follows sponsored mobility. Recent studies use Allmendinger’s (1989) concepts of standardization and stratification to analyze the impact of educational systems on inequality. Despite reforms aimed at reducing disparities, mechanisms like the Matthew Effect and compensatory advantage sustain inequality. The Matthew Effect suggests that early advantages accumulate over time, while compensatory advantage explains how privileged individuals can mitigate setbacks using resources like tutoring and high educational aspirations.
Japan provides a unique case to examine compensatory advantage due to its flexible "Gohasan-gata" education system, which allows students to reattempt elite university admissions regardless of prior academic performance. However, research suggests that this flexibility mainly benefits upper-class students, reinforcing inequality. This aligns with Lucas’s (2017) Effectively Maintained Inequality (EMI), which argues that social advantages persist through qualitative educational differences. Additionally, Bernardi and Lil-Herná (2021) suggest that privileged students can avoid downward mobility despite academic setbacks.
This study employs a causal mediation approach to investigate compensatory advantage in Japan, overcoming limitations of past research that relied on cross-tabulations. Understanding how the education system masks inequality through "effort" discourse is crucial, particularly in highly competitive societies like Japan. Findings will provide insights into the structural limitations of educational reforms and their role in perpetuating inequality.

Authors

• Masahiro Narisawa, Hitotsubashi University

• Aguru Ishibashi, The Institute of Statistical Mathematics / Senshu University