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Genes, Policy, and Social Inequality

Project description

Tracing the role of genetic endowments in social status

The analysis of the interaction between genetic endowments and the social environment is an immense field of study. Research in social science genetics has demonstrated that, among other factors, part of the variation in social status can be explained by genetic differences across population members. How could heritability studies further contribute to the reduction of social inequalities? Which effects should be attributed to genes and which to the environments through which these genes operate? By advancing the methodological toolkit for the investigation of the interaction between genes and environments, the EU-funded GEPSI project aims to address these crucial questions.

Objective

Many important indicators of social status (such as ones level of education, occupation, and income) have been shown to be moderately heritable, meaning that a part of the variation in social status can be explained by genetic differences across population members. I have been able to identify for the first time specific genetic variants that are robustly associated with such an indicator, namely educational attainment (Rietveld et al., 2013, Science). By methodologically advancing the estimation of the interaction between genes and environments, this proposal will settle two long lasting debates in social science genetics.

First, I will show how heritability studies despite earlier firm rejections of this position can be informative for policies aiming to reduce social inequalities (Objective 1). Second, I will assess the critique that social science genetics attributes effects to genes which should be attributed to the environments through which these genes operate (Objective 2). In doing so, I will extend existing methodology to quantify the incremental explanatory power of genes over environmental factors such as the social status of parents (Objective 2A), and I will develop a solution for the endogenous inclusion of environmental factors in genetic summary indices (i.e. polygenic risk scores) which currently impacts the validity of gene-by-environment studies (Objective 2B).

All newly developed methods will be tested extensively using simulations, and made available for others by means of free software code. Empirically, I will interact genes and various natural experiments (policy changes) to identify interventions that can ameliorate social inequalities in terms of education, occupational status, and income. For this purpose, I will draw on a unique combination of data sources including UK Biobank (~500,000 genotyped individuals) and administrative data from Statistics Netherlands which I will link to data from the Dutch Twin Registry for this project.

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Topic(s)

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ERC-STG - Starting Grant

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Call for proposal

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(opens in new window) ERC-2020-STG

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Host institution

ERASMUS UNIVERSITEIT ROTTERDAM
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 499 923,00
Address
BURGEMEESTER OUDLAAN 50
3062 PA Rotterdam
Netherlands

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Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 1 499 923,00

Beneficiaries (1)

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