Education, Democracy and Inequality

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xvi

   PDF

2. Introduction

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 1-13

3. Learning Political Engagement

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 15-43

4. Access to Forms of Political Learning

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 45-67

5. Social Gaps in the Forms of Learning and Political Engagement: 11–16-Year-Olds in England

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 69-97

6. England in a Comparative Light: Lower Secondary

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 99-157

7. Learning Political Engagement in Further and Higher Education in England

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 159-189

8. The Influence of Post-16 Education on Political Engagement: England Compared to Other States

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 191-215

9. Conclusions and Implications for Policy and Practice

   • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

   Pages 217-231

10. Correction to: Education, Democracy and Inequality

    • Bryony Hoskins, Jan Germen Janmaat

    Pages C1-C1

11. Back Matter

    Pages 233-242

    PDF

This book posits that national education systems are enhancing socioeconomic inequalities in political engagement. While the democratic ideal is social equality in political engagement, the authors demonstrate that the English education system is recreating and enhancing entrenched democratic inequalities. In Europe, the UK has the strongest correlation between social background and voting behaviours. Examining the role of the school and the education system in the potential reproduction of these inequalities, the authors draw upon the theories of Bourdieu and Bernstein and compare the English school system to other European countries to analyse barriers that are put along the way to political engagement. In times of political disaffection, frustration and polarisation, it is particularly important to uncover why young people from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to engage politically, and to help inspire future generations to use their voice. This timely book will be of interest and value to students and scholars of educational inequality and political engagement.

• democracy
• education
• Europe
• political science
• politics
• quality
• citizenship education
• political engagement
• young people political engagement

• Department of Social Science, University of Roehampton, London, UK

  Bryony Hoskins

• Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

  Jan Germen Janmaat

Bryony Hoskins is Professor of Comparative Social Science at the University of Roehampton, UK. She is an internationally renowned scholar who has conducted groundbreaking research in the field of measuring active citizenship, civic competence and the learning of political engagement. She regularly contributes to policy on Citizenship for a wide range of international organisations.


Jan Germen Janmaat is Reader in Comparative Social Science at the UCL Institute of Education, UK. He is interested in the ways in which education, broadly conceived, can promote civic values and social cohesion, and has published widely on these topics. Currently he is co-editor of Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education.

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