Economists are increasingly exploring the role of genetics in socio-economic inequality. Professor of Economics & Genetics Niels Rietveld (Erasmus School of Economics) emphasises in an interview with the daily newspaper Trouw that genetic factors do have a measurable influence on the average level of education people achieve, but warns against overestimation.
Research shows that genetic variation can explain about 15 percent of the differences in educational attainment. This is comparable to the predictive power of parents’ educational level. Still, the environment remains decisive: upbringing, income, and chance circumstances have at least as great an impact. ‘A genetic score says nothing about the individual,’ Rietveld stresses. ‘Someone with a high predisposition may still fail, while someone with a low score can excel.’
Insights from so-called geno-economics offer new perspectives in the debate on inequality of opportunity. For example, parents influence their children’s success not only through genes but also through the environment they create. Yet translating these findings into policy is precarious. Rietveld and colleagues warn against misuse of genetic data, such as by commercial embryo selection companies claiming they can choose the “smartest” embryo. Rietveld calls this ‘a form of positive eugenics’ and scientifically misleading.
Despite the ethical concerns, he sees genetic research as an integral part of economic science. ‘Genes are only part of the story, but they do play a role. That is precisely why it’s important that researchers use this knowledge responsibly,’ says Rietveld.
- More information
You can download the full interview with Niels Rietveld in the daily newspaper Trouw above. For more information, please contact Ronald de Groot, Media & Public Relations Officer at Erasmus School of Economics: rdegroot@ese.eur.nl, mobile: +31 653 641 846.
