Presenting at the BIGSSS in Bremen

Dr. Simone Schneider presented insights from the PERGAP in a talk titled Fairness Assessments of Educational Opportunities: Do Institutions Matter? as part of the Social Science Lecture Series at the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS). The event was jointly organized with the Collaborative Research Center – CRC 1342 Global Dynamics of Social Policy and held within the CRC’s Jour Fixe series.

In her presentation, Dr. Schneider introduced ongoing research from the PERGAP project, which investigates the institutional foundations that shape how individuals perceive inequality, justice, and opportunity. Focusing on educational systems, the talk explored how institutional configurations—particularly the extent of educational tracking—influence people’s fairness assessments of their own and others’ educational chances across European societies.

Drawing on neo-institutionalist theory, Dr. Schneider proposed two contrasting theoretical perspectives: educational tracking may serve either as an institutional barrier that constrains perceptions of fairness or as an ideational sourcethat provides frameworks for evaluating opportunity. This dual framework allows for a nuanced analysis of how institutions affect cognitive and normative evaluations of social mobility and justice.

The talk sparked an engaging and interdisciplinary discussion on the mechanisms through which institutions shape individual perceptions and preferences, the applicability of neo-institutional and policy feedback theories, and the broader consequences for comparative social policy research. These exchanges underscored both the theoretical relevance and societal implications of PERGAP’s research agenda.

We extend our sincere thanks to Prof. Patrick Sachweh and Julio Ituraa-Sanhueza for the kind invitation and warm hospitality.

Learn more about upcoming events hosted by BIGSSS here: