Regimes of Reproduction: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

This article investigates cross-country variation in perceptions toward social reproduction to establish whether there exist different reproduction regimes. Geometric data analysis is performed on two waves of a large-n dataset, the Social Inequality survey of the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), to determine whether structured variations exist among countries in terms of dominant capitals and habitus (perceptions) relating to the mode of reproduction. Four questions are answered: what are the main dimensions structuring social reproduction? Can clear groupings (regimes) be identified within these dimensions? Are regime-level effects larger than within-regime variance? And do regimes demonstrate stability over time? Preliminary analysis reveals three dimensions structuring social reproduction, defined according to volume of capital and (respectively) the relative weight of cultural and social capitals, together with structured variations in perception regarding their use. Further contextual analysis supports an empirical distinction between objectified modes of reproduction defined as school-mediated meritocracy, in which cultural capital is dominant, and symbolically contested regimes, in which institutionalised social capital is also found to play a role. The findings provide cross-country, empirical support for the viability of the Bourdieusian theory of social reproduction, as well as the feasibility of GDA for studying not only structures but mechanisms.

Keywords: Bourdieu, combinatorial inference, GDA, polychoric PCA, Social capital, Social reproduction