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Access to higher education in Europe: The role of labour market coordination, social policy, and educational institutions

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Drawing on scholarship that situates education within broader political-economic contexts, this study examines the role of macro-level institutions in shaping cross-country variation in access to higher education across Europe. Using multilevel modelling and European Social Survey data, we analyse higher-education entry and examine how institutions beyond the education system are related to participation and to the role of family background. Labour market coordination coupled with tracking corresponds to lower overall chances of enrolment. At the same time, coordination can attenuate the influence of individual-level social factors, offsetting the stratifying effect of tracking. Public student financial aid is related to greater participation, but its equalising capacity is context-dependent, strongest in systems with high coordination and tracking. No statistically significant effects were found for social expenditures and unemployment protection. Ultimately, the interplay between labour market structures and educational institutions helps disentangle patterns of participation and inequality across political-economic models.

Source: International Journal of Comparative Sociology

DOI: 10.1177/00207152261472761

Authors: Sergey Malinovskiy, Luis Ortiz-Gervasi, Ekaterina Shibanova

Institutions: Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Politecnico di Milano

Language: English

Topic: Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Reduced inequalities, Quality education, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: European Commission