The only way is up? Social mobility and equal opportunities

Eurofound and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) are co-organising a joint high-level conference on social mobility and equal opportunities in Paris, France on Thursday, 4 May 2017.

Videos

Morning session

Afternoon session

Event programme: The only way is up? Social mobility and equal opportunities

Background

The event provides a lively platform to discuss fresh evidence on intergenerational mobility and policies which support upward mobility, especially among the disadvantaged population groups within the European Union and OECD countries. The event is opened by Gabriela Ramos, Chief of Staff and Sherpa to the G20, OECD and Juan Menéndez-Valdés, Director, Eurofound.

Since the global financial crisis many people in a range of countries are facing a sharp fall in living standards and economic inequalities are on the rise. Consequently, policy attention is starting to shift towards addressing this lack of equal opportunities as well as the transmission of (dis)advantage across generations.

The one-day high-level conference brings together an interdisciplinary group of international experts, policymakers and stakeholders from both OECD and EU countries to examine the major trends in social mobility and how these vary across countries. The sessions consider why lack of mobility and intergenerational inequality is of concern and what policies work in the field of education, labour market, urban development, health and social protection to improve equal opportunities and social mobility. The concluding panel aims to identify how a more integrated approach at different levels can underpin greater equality of opportunity and promote upward social mobility.

Documents

• Event programme: The only way is up? Social mobility and equal opportunities

• Event background paper: The issues note

• Eurofound publication: Social mobility in the EU (19 April 2017)

• Blog: Anna Ludwinek: Does social background determine life chances in Europe? (26 April 2017)

• Presentation: Keynote speaker Richard V. Reeves – Senior Fellow in Economic Studies, Brookings Institution (2.95 MB PDF)

Photo gallery

OECD Centre for Opportunity and Equality (COPE) is the platform for promoting and conducting policy-oriented research on the trends, causes and consequences of inequalities in society and the economy, and a forum to discuss how policies can best address such inequalities.

Contact information: Jade.Baker@oecd.org - Bernice.Turner@eurofound.europa.eu