Inequality of Educational Opportunity in East and West Germany: Convergence or Continued Differences

Abstract

Diversity in education systems, and broader political and economic conditions, are commonly credited with international variations in inequality of educational opportunity (IEO). Comparing East and West Germany before reunification allows us to investigate whether vastly different political, economic and educational systems led to differences in IEO. Postreunification, East Germany adopted the West's systems and experienced an economic recession. IEO had been smaller in East than in West Germany but was on an upward trajectory before reunification. After 1990, IEO in East Germany converged to the West German level as a result of decreased IEO in the West and increasing levels in the East. Postreunification convergence suggests differences in political context and education policy are crucial for IEO.

Task specialization and the Native‐Foreign Wage Gap

“…While the sample focuses on people who live in West Germany at the time of the survey, the data does not consistently provide information on the birthplace. As a consequence, workers born in East Germany are likewise considered natives despite possible differences in quality of education and experience (Klein et al, 2019; Riphahn & Trübswetter, 2013).…”