Peter Saunders personal website

Social mobility involves a change in your class (e.g. from working class to middle class) or your income (e.g. from the lowest income quartile to the highest). In recent years, UK governments have become convinced that Britain is a 'closed shop society' in which there is little movement between social classes or income bands, and they think things are getting worse. The Coalition government recently appointed Alan Milburn as its social mobility 'Tsar.' Milburn told Radio 4, 'In this country, if you're born poor, you die poor.'

Statements like this are outrageous (80% of people born in households below the poverty line escape poverty when they reach adulthood). Yet claims like this are rarely challenged, for they reflect the dominance of what I call the 'SAD thesis' in British academic research - the idea that Social Advantages and Disadavantages drive people's life chances much more than their talent or hard work. In my work, I show that Britain is a remarkably open, meritocratic society, and that the key factors influencing where we end up are our ability and motivation, not social origins.

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2012: Social Mobility Delusions (published by Civitas) shows politicians are wrong to say Britain is bottom of the international mobility rankings. Nor is mobility declining, nor are bright poor kids falling behind dull rich kids at school
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2010: Social Mobility Myths (published by Civitas) explains why politicians are wrong when they claim Britain is a 'closed shop society'. "A devastating book" (Prospect magazine).
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2007: 'The limits to meritocracy' In G. Dench (ed), The Rise and Rise of Meritocracy (London, Young Foundation)
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2002: 'Reflections on the meritocracy debate in Britain' British Journal of Sociology vol.53
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1999: 'Routes of success: Influences on the occupational attainment of young British males' British Journal of Sociology, vol.50 (with Rod Bond)
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1999: 'Explaining gender differences in achievement in higher education' in P.Fogelberg, J.Hearn, L.Husu and T.Mankkinen (eds), Hardwork in the Academy, Helsinki University Press (with Ruth Woodfield)

1997: 'Social mobility in Britain: An empirical evaluation of two competing explanations' Sociology, vol. 31
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1996: 'A British Bell Curve?' Sociology Review, vol. 6

1996: Unequal But Fair? A Study of Class Barriers in Britain Civitas (out of print)

1995: 'Might Britain be a meritocracy?' Sociology, vol. 29
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1994: 'Social mobility and meritocracy' in D.Marsland (ed) Work and employment in liberal democratic societies Paragon House
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Interview on latest claims that Britain has a damaging social mobility problem
Voice of Russia news broadcast, 20 November 2012
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The Sutton Trust's claims about social mobility in Britain must be challenged
Letter in The Sunday Times, 4 November 2012
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Debate on social mobility with Labour Uncut's Kevin Meagher, author Robert Kelsey, former MP Michael Meadowcroft and the IEA's Richard Wellings
Voice of Russia broadcast, 3 July 2012
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Politicians have got the facts of social mobility badly wrong
LBC Radio interview with Julia Hartley-Brewer, 21 June 2012
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Social mobility delusions
BBC Radio 4 Today, 21 June 2012
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Parenting matters, but ability is the key factor shaping educational and occupational achievement.
Contribution to BBC Radio 4 programme, The Class Ceiling, 1 & 8 September 2011
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Hard work and motivation are important, but talent matters more (debate with Matthew Syed, chaired by John Humphreys)
BBC Radio 4 Today, 11 May 2011
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Success reflects hard work and talent more than class background
BBC News 24 interview with Huw Edwards, 5 April 2011
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The government's gloomy message on social mobility undermines people's motivation
Sky News interview with Kay Burley, 5 April 2011
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Middle class children do better because bright successful parents tend to produce bright successful children
BBC Radio Five Live, Breakfast, 5 April 2011
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Do we really need the government to boost social mobility?
LBC Radio, 31 March 2011
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It's a mistake to force universities to admit poorer students on lower grades
The Daily Telegraph, 9 February 2011
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If you're bright and work hard you'll succeed
BBC-2, 'Who Gets the Best Jobs?', 2 February 2011
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Debate on TUC report on social mobility
BBC Radio 4, Today, 17 August 2010
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Busting the myth of our rigid classes
The Sunday Times 6 June 2010
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Debate on class in Britain
BBC Radio 4, The Moral Maze 2001
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Why intelligence must vary with class but not with race
The Independent, 25 October 1994
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Speech to the Cambridge Union (25 October 2012), opposing the motion: This House believes class runs Britain (my contribution from 35 mins in)
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Social mobility myths (2 October 2012). Presentation to Head Masters' Conference annual conference, Europa Hotel, Belfast (updated and revised version)
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Social Mobility Myths and their significance (7 June 2011). Presentation to the Annual Conference of the Forum of Independent Day Schools, meeting at Hampton School.
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Lunchtime talk on social mobility at Civitas (4 November 2010)
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Debate: Are we still a classless society Mr Cameron? Battle of Ideas, University of London (31 October 2010). With Daily Mirror journalist Kevin Maguire, marxist sociologist Neil Davenport and journalist Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal.
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Is Britain Really a "Closed Shop Society"? Presentation to Dept of Work Pensions seminar, London (13 August 2010)
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