Effectively Maintained Inequality in Education: An Introduction

A growing literature has investigated socioeconomic inequality in education crossnationally. One promising theory of inequality is effectively maintained inequality (EMI; Lucas, 2001). EMI observes that all outcomes, including educational attainment, have two dimensions: (1) a quantitative dimension (e.g., the number of years of education obtained) and (2) a qualitative dimension (e.g., the program of study pursued). The contention is that analysts must consider both dimensions to ascertain trends and dynamics of inequality. Given the multidimensional nature of goods, when applied to education EMI contends that socioeconomically well-off children will receive qualitative educational advantage even if quantitative outcomes are equalized or quantitative advantage is impossible. Thus, EMI contends that equalizing quantity is insufficient to undermine inequality, because inequality in the types of education obtained can effectively reproduce patterns of advantage and disadvantage. Certainly, many analyses have usefull