Inherited Advantage: Comparing Households that Receive Gifts and Bequests with Non-Receiving Households across the Distribution of Household Wealth in 11 European Countries

This study examines the importance of gifts and bequests (‘wealth transfers’) across the distribution of household wealth. Unconditional quantile regression applied to harmonized survey data obtained from 11 European countries reveals that households that receive gifts and bequests own considerably more wealth than non-receiving households, all other things being equal. The wealth gap varies hugely along the distribution of net wealth. At the median, the wealth gap reaches about 119,000 euros and increases to 630,000 euros at the 90th percentile. With regard to the 99th percentile, survey data even indicate differences in wealth levels greater than 2.3 million euros. Further analysis finds evidence that the impact of wealth transfers on household wealth follows an inverted U-shaped pattern: gifts and bequests contribute the most to the stock of private wealth in the broad mid-section and less so at the lower and upper ends of the distribution. Overall, the study provides evidence for a strong nexus between inheritance and household wealth that is not limited to the top.Introduction Exploring the Inheritance-Wealth Nexus: Two Approaches that Go beyond the Average Data, Variables, and Method Results Conclusions Acknowledgements Reference

Religious nationalisms compared: the curious cases of India and Serbia

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A fogalmi fejlődés kutatási eredményeinek hasznosítása az oktatás fejlesztésében

The transformation of social expectations toward schooling, the change in the understanding of knowledge, the emergence of developmental tasks focusing on key competencies in curricula all call for a renewal in education, regarding approach, contents and methods alike. This paper provides theoretical background for the development of instructional methods that target effective, meaningful learning by reviewing current research on conceptual development and conceptual change. The discussion of the process of knowledge construction is based on a constructivist approach of knowledge acquisition and on the achievements of cognitive psychology regarding knowledge representation and the organisation of propositional knowledge. Findings from Hungarian and international empirical research are reviewed to show the comprehension problems children encounter when trying to connect their nad've, experiential knowledge, based on their everyday experiences, to scientific knowledge presented to them in school. Reasons are given why there are misconceptions, knowledge elements which differ from accepted scientific explanations present rather permanently in the conceptual system of students. The domain-specific and age-related characteristics of conceptual development and conceptual change are also highlighted. Research on conceptual development complements the classic methods of teaching concepts in several respects. It emphasises the role of the active engagement, the cognitive efforts and the previous knowledge of the student in the learning process, and it provides a foundation for the development of instructional methods that promote conceptual change. The emergence of a well-organised and well-comprehended body of knowledge is facilitated if, in the teaching process, students' beliefs and presuppositions about the physical and social environment as well as their epistennic strategies are identified, and they are acquainted with methods used in scientific inquiry (research and thinking) and paradigms in the history of science. A learning environment based on student involvement, interaction with peers, experimenting and problem solving contributes significantly to the development of metacognitive strategies which aid knowledge acquisition as well as to the development of students' mastery motivation