Sponsored Mobility is a British term, generally used to refer to a method of identifying people at an early age for social advancement and sponsoring, or providing them sponsored mobility, as they prepare for their rise to the top and then guaranteeing them a comfortable position. In sponsored mobility, elite status is not earned, but given on the basis of some objective criterion. Similarly, those not identified for sponsored mobility are not supported or given equality of opportunity and thus are destined for positions at the bottom of social class and the class structure. Sponsored Mobility is different from mobility allowance a social-security benefit payable to a disabled person to assist with the cost of travel.
Vertical Social Mobility is the transition of an individual from one position to another, situated at a different level. Horizontal Social Mobility is the transition of an individual from one position to another situated on the same level.
Sponsored Mobility is contrasted with Contest Mobility. In sponsored mobility, individuals must be sponsored by one or more members already in the elite circle in order to gain access. Contest mobility is a British term referring to what North Americans would refer to as social mobility through equality of opportunity. In contest mobility, equal footing among individuals is assumed as a given. Achieved status is attributed directly to the effort put in by each contestant.
Sponsored mobility is also referred to as tournament mobility. Recruitment for positions in society is seen as a contest in which the contestants are competing freely. Contest mobility refers to system of social mobility in which all individuals are seen as participants in a race and the contest is open. Affirmative action is a variant of what Ralph Turner called sponsored mobility.
On Becoming a Superintendent: Contest Mobility or Sponsored Mobility?. Moody, Charles D., Sr. Abstract: Found that White consultants were disproportionately selected by school boards to advise on hiring decisions. Holds that sponsorship, mentorship, and networking control and limit minority access to positions such as the superintendency and the mobility is sponsored mobility.
Sponsored Mobility and Contest Mobility Among College Graduates: Measurement of the Relative Openness of a Social Structure - Kinloch, Graham C. Abstract: This study is concerned with determining the significance of achievement and ascriptive factors in the career mobility of graduate engineers. Difficulties regarding the measurement of relative openness of a social structure are pointed out.
Grodsky, Eric. "Sponsored Mobility in Higher Education" Abstract: A rational action perspective to the study of affirmative action in higher education. I argue that the evolution of affirmative action policies in college recruitment and admissions is best understood as a response by post-secondary institutions to a variety of both external and internal forces. I suggest that affirmative action is a variant of sponsored mobility. Building on Skrentny, I suggest that this form of sponsorship may have originated as an organizational response to a perceived crisis in legitimacy brought on by the Civil Rights struggle.
Sponsored Mobility and Contest Mobility Revisited: An Examination of Britain and the USA Today. - Morgan, Harriet P. Abstract: Examines the conceptual framework of sponsored mobility and contest mobility originated by Ralph H. Turner to illuminate student educational mobility in the British and U.S. educational systems in 1960. Concludes that today entry into U.S. higher education is determined by demand rather than ability but entry into the British higher education system is more selective, limiting access.
A Sociological Study on the Educational System and Meritocracy of Singapore: The Institute of Technical Education as a Rewarming-Up Apparatus - SIM, Choon Kiat. ABSTRACT: This study demonstrates that the notion of being given a second chance and the ability to see the prospects for a future job determine the average study hours of the ‘losers.’ Singapore’s educational system is unique in that while the selection process may be rigorous, even the ‘losers’ perform well in international comparative studies on academic ability. It fits neither the European model of sponsored mobility nor the US-Japan model of contest mobility.
Sponsored Mobility and Contest Mobility and the School System. American Sociological Review 25 (6 December).