Work

Parental Income and Higher Education: Evidence from France

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: This paper offers new stylized facts on inequality of enrollment in higher education according to parental income in France. On average, an increment of 10 percentiles in the parental income distribution is associated with a 5.8 percentage point increase in the proportion of individuals entering higher education. This degree of inequality is strikingly close to that observed in the United States. We identify potential explanatory factors behind this similar degree of inequality in two markedly different institutional contexts. We then explore one consequence of enrollment disparities, assessing the distribution of spending on higher education.

Source: Journal of Human Capital

DOI: 10.1086/735104

Authors: Cécile Bonneau, Sébastien Grobon

Institutions: Aalto University, Centre d'Économie de la Sorbonne

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education

Open Access status: green

Funder: Agence Nationale de la Recherche