explanation that ‘“social advantage and disadvantage” conferred at birth is what shapes people’s destinies’, which he calls the ‘SAD’ thesis (Saunders 2010, 3). For convenience we can refer to Saunders’ own explanation as the ‘DIM’ thesis; that is, the Due to Innate Merit thesis. As the title of his 1996 book Unequal But Fair? suggests, Saunders argues that inequality is morally fair because those at the top of society are more able people and deserve their rewards. He does, however, accept that the opportunities leading to mobility outcomes are inequitable and that
Despite becoming a big issue in public debate, social mobility is one of the most misunderstood processes of our time. In this accessible and engaging text, Geoff Payne, one of Britain’s leading mobility analysts, presents up-to-date sociological research evidence to demonstrate how our politicians have not grasped the ways in which mobility works. The new social mobility argues for considering a wider range of dimensions of mobility and life chances, notably the workings of the labour market, to assess more accurately the causes and consequences of mobility as social and political processes. Bringing together a range of literature and research, it covers key themes of mobility analysis, and offers a critical and original approach to social mobility. This important book will challenge the well-established opinions of politicians, pressure groups, the press, academics and the public; it is also sufficiently comprehensive to be suitable for teaching and of interest to a broad academic audience.
labour force. There are also grounds for pessimism about the potential of people in lower classes to be mobile, even if they benefit from these policies. The logic of the DIM explanation of mobility is that the inheritable abilities of those in the lower classes are weaker than those in the higher classes; even if the playing field were more level, they would still mainly turn out to be the losers. The alternative logic of the SAD thesis is that families have different social advantages: the offspring of those at the top are better able to maintain their
