Geographies of elite higher education participation: An urban ‘escalator’ effect

Abstract

Based on analysis of an administrative dataset, which includes granular detail on 800,000 English students over a 10‐year period, this article identifies an urban ‘escalator’ effect in entry to elite universities, with disadvantaged youth in the urban centres of England having higher rates of entry than similarly disadvantaged youth located rurally. Using multilevel modelling, as well as Geographic Information System (GIS) methods, the analyses show that while place in itself is not a major contributory factor in entry to elite universities overall, there is a distinct urban–rural patterning to progression. When raw progression rates by area alone are observed, rural areas typically have higher progression rates to elite universities. However, when the full range of individual differences are accounted for, including attainment, socio‐economic status, ethnicity and accessibility to elite universities, the converse is true—localities within and surrounding major urban centres are those with the highest progression rates. A ‘vortex of influences’ is likely to favour urban disadvantaged youth, including the geography of social class and ethnic identities, a legacy of concerted policy interventions within urban areas, as well as the proliferation of widening participation activity in urban centres.

Rurality, socio‐economic disadvantage and educational mobility: A Scottish case study

“…Further work explores the role of place in accessing HE. Davies et al (2021), for example, use data on university students to explore the role of place in progression to 'elite' universities in the United Kingdom. They show that based on raw progression rates to 'elite' universities, there appears to be a rural advantage dimension.…”

“…They show that based on raw progression rates to 'elite' universities, there appears to be a rural advantage dimension. However, when what they call 'a vortex of influences' (Davies et al, 2021) is accounted for (including socio-economic disadvantage), a distinct urban advantage emerges. This underlines the need to consider attainment and socio-economic disadvantage together.…”

“…Despite this policy and academic focus, less is known about the link between rurality and academic attainment. Whilst rurality has been shown to be associated with a number of detrimental educational outcomes, from lower attainment through to lower mobility to further and higher education (Davies et al, 2021; Echazarra & Radinger, 2019; Lasselle & Johnson, 2021), evidence on primary education remains limited.…”

Identity economics and the disadvantage effect on graduate retention in cities: using regression to analyse the intersection of gender, ethnicity, and geography

“…The 'participation of local areas' (POLAR) measure is a popular geographic measurement of higher education participation, which, in its most recent form, POLAR4, is derived by allocating students based on their postcode into quintiles, from quintile 1 areas (i.e., the 'most disadvantaged' with the lowest participation rates) up to quintile 5 areas (i.e., the 'most advantaged' with the highest participation). The use of use POLAR quintiles as a measure of socioeconomic status (e.g., SMC, 2017) has led to suggestions that place has become a proxy for social class (Davies et al, 2021). Critics maintain that POLAR quintiles are not statistically valid measures of social (dis)advantage because of the heterogeneity of (dis)advantage in local areas, suggesting instead that POLAR4 should be used only as a geographical measure of historical educational (dis)advantage (Harrison & McCaig, 2015).…”

Future Guanabara Bay Clean-up: Rio de Janeiro’s Hillslope Favelas Ought to Be its Amicable Pinnacles

“…Accomplished youth native to downtown Rio de Janeiro ordinarily is more likely to achieve positive public recognition than their disadvantaged peers living in the closely adjacent favelasthis outcome may be referred to http://revistas.icesp.br/index.php/REBEFA as the intra-urban "escalator effect" [7]. Improved mobility, sanitation, reliably clean potable freshwater and noninterruptible electricity supply serving favela dwellers could reduce the "escalator effect" impact markedly.…”