Educational Pathways and the Cost-of-Living Crisis in the Liverpool City Region (LCR)

在过去的几十年里，物价上涨和生活成本危机一直是英国反复出现的问题，对个人和整个社会都产生了深远的影响。事实上，用于基本商品和服务的收入份额不断增加，直接影响到人们的日常生活。这些差异不成比例地影响到那些已经生活在贫困中或面临贫困风险的人，增加了社会经济不平等，并进一步减少了向上流动。此外，生活费用危机还可能影响受教育机会和学生的成绩：面临经济困难的家庭往往难以负担子女的优质教育，限制了他们获得更好的教育和就业机会，从而使贫穷的循环永久化。此外，经济不稳定造成的压力和不确定性会影响学生的学业成绩，阻碍他们充分发挥潜力和发展更高技能的能力。鉴于其对个人和社会的影响，该研究项目旨在揭示生活费用变化、教育程度和就业机会之间的关系，以及它们是否会引发进一步的空间社会经济不平等。事实上，使用空间分析，我们的目标是确定这种关系的地理模式和可能的干预领域的政策制定者。我们将使用两个主要的行政数据源：纵向教育成果（LEO）数据集和工资和就业动态（WED）数据集。在成果方面，我们希望确定能够解释这些不平等的决定因素的空间模型，找到这个问题更加分散的领域，并预测最近的价格上涨将在短期和长期内产生什么影响。为此，将采用空间回归和聚类技术来调查不同时间的成绩分布情况。此外，为了深入了解面临经济挑战的地区，利物浦城市地区将作为一个案例研究进行分析，探讨城市和非城市环境中的动态，了解这些机制对于政策制定者制定有针对性的干预措施和减少获得更好的教育和就业的障碍至关重要，这是平等机会的两个支柱。事实上，考虑到它们的空间分布及其与金融斗争的关系，可以做出更明智的决定。

In the last decades, price inflation and cost of living crisis have been a recurring issue in the UK, with far-reaching implications for both individuals and society at large. Indeed, the increasing share of income ending up in essential goods and services directly impacts people's everyday lives. These variations disproportionately affect those already living in or at risk of poverty, increasing socioeconomic inequalities, and further reducing upward mobility. Moreover, the cost of living crisis may also impact educational access and students' performance: families facing financial hardship often struggle to afford quality education for their children, limiting their access to better education and job opportunities, thus perpetuating cycles of poverty. Additionally, the stress and uncertainty caused by financial instability can affect students' academic performance, hindering their ability to reach their full potential and develop higher skills. Given its effects on individuals and society, this research project aims to uncover the undergoing relationship between cost of living variations, educational attainments and job opportunities and whether they trigger further spatial socio-economic inequalities. Indeed, using spatial analysis, we aim to identify geographical patterns of this relationship and possible areas for intervention for policy makers. We will employ two main administrative data sources: the Longitudinal Educational Outcomes (LEO) dataset, and the Wage and Employment Dynamics (WED) dataset.In terms of outcomes, we expect to identify spatial models capable of explaining the determinants of these inequalities, find the areas where this problem is more diffused, and anticipate where and how the recent rise in prices will impact in both the short and long-run. For this reason, spatial regressions and clustering techniques will be applied to investigate the distribution of attainments over time. In addition, to provide insights into areas facing economic challenges, Liverpool City Region will be analysed as a case study, exploring the dynamics in both urban and non-urban settings.Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for policy makers to formulate targeted interventions and to reduce barriers in accessing better education and employment, which are two pillars for equal opportunities. Indeed, more informed decisions can be made considering their spatial distribution and their relation to financial struggles.