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dieckhoff_jungblut_oconnell.pdf
Job-Related Training in Europe. Do Institutions Matter?(Martina Dieckhoff, Jean-Marie Jungblut and Philip J. O'Connell)download this file
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smyth.pdf
School effects and the choice of field of study in higher education(Emer Smyth)This paper considers the individual and school factors influencing choice of field of study in applying for, and entering, degree-level courses within higher education in the Republic of Ireland. It draws on a large-scale survey of lower secondary students, followed up to the completion of upper secondary education. Marked gender differences are found in the fields of study selected, patterns that are not attributable to variation in prior ability/performance, attitudes to subjects or patterns of subject take-up within school. Some variation by social class in application patterns is evident but is much less marked than the difference in social class background between applicants and non-applicants. There are significant differences in the field of study applied for across schools, even controlling for student intake; these differences are mediated by patterns of subject take-up within upper secondary education. No significant differences between schools are found in terms of entry to specific fields of study.download this file
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whelan_maitre.pdf
The ‘Europeanisation’ of Reference Groups: A Reconsideration Using EU-SILC (Christopher T. Whelan, Bertrand Maître)In this paper we address the question of the relative importance of within and between country differences in income and material deprivation in the European Union in the context of recent suggestions that insufficient attention has been paid to the latter. In particular, we respond to the argument that the ‘state bounded’ relative income approach obscures the significance of EU-wide reference groups. Making use of EU-SILC 2004, we have sought to quantify the magnitude of relevant within and between country differences and their relative impact. Overall, our analysis supports the view that the predominant frame of reference is a national one. The limited impact of European reference groups observed in our analysis does not require explanation in terms of the emergence of a European social stratification system. Furthermore, the significance of such comparisons depends not only on the expectations of those affected by European inequalities but on the degree of legitimacy afforded to ensuing demands. While an EU-wide income-threshold can provide information regarding progress of the Union towards greater social cohesion, its usage for this purpose does not require a strong sense of European identity. Given, the current status of the European Social Model it would seem unwise to attribute an undue degree of policy relevance to the relatively modest impact of EU-wide reference groups revealed in our analysis. download this file
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