Seeking opportunity or socioeconomic status? Housing and school choice in Sweden

Fredrik W Andersson (), Selcan Mutgan (), Axel Norgren () and Karl Wennberg ()
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Fredrik W Andersson: Örebro University
Selcan Mutgan: Instiute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University
Axel Norgren: Institute for Analytical Sociology, Linköping University
Karl Wennberg: Center for Education and Leadership Excellence, Postal: Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Education and Leadership Excellence, Saltmätargatan 13-17, P.O. Box 6501, 113 83 Stockholm

No 24/1, Working Papers from Stockholm School of Economics, Center for Educational Leadership and Excellence

Abstract: Residential choices and school choices are intimately connected in school systems where school admission relies on proximity rules. In countries with universal school choice systems, however, it remains an open question whether families’ residential mobility is tied to the choice of their children’s school, and with what consequences. Using administrative data on all children approaching primary- school age in Sweden, we study to what extent families’ financial and socioeconomic background affects mobility between neighbourhoods and the characteristics of schools chosen by moving families. Our findings show that families do utilize the housing market as an instrument for school choice over the year preceding their firstborn child starting school. However, while families who move do ‘climb the social ladder’ by moving to neighbourhoods with more households of higher socioeconomic status, their chosen schools do not appear to be of higher academic quality compared to those their children would otherwise have attended.

Keywords: Residential; mobility:; school; choice:; welfare; state:; school; enrolment:; housing; market (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2024-01-01
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