Mind the gap: the interplay between genes and neighbourhood context on educational achievement

Laura Silva (), Felix C. Tropf and Tobias Wolfram
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Laura Silva: PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement
Felix C. Tropf: UCL - University College of London [London]
Tobias Wolfram: Universität Bielefeld = Bielefeld University

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Abstract: This article expands on previous research on gene-environment (GxE) effects on socio-economic status, by stepping beyond the family dimension and exploring how the neighbourhood context interacts with education linked genes in influencing educational achievement. While some evidence suggests that genetic links to education are more fully expressed in high socio-economic status families, other findings indicate that individuals with lower genetic predisposition for education benefit more from high socio-economic contexts. We argue that the neighbourhood environment may also play a role on the relationship between genes and education-related outcomes. We find evidence that living in socioeconomically advantaged neighbourhoods contributes to closing the gap between individuals characterized by high and low genetic predispositions towards educational achievement, with this effect primarily driven by influences on academic motivation, rather than cognitive skills. These findings emphasize that environmental contexts can shape the unfolding of genetic endowment and point to an important role of the neighbourhood in compensating for pre-existing disadvantage, thus contributing to improve chances of upward social mobility and to limit the reproduction of social inequalities in education over time.

Date: 2025-02-19
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Published in European Sociological Review, 2025, ⟨10.1093/esr/jcaf001⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:halshs-04960843

DOI: 10.1093/esr/jcaf001

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