Parents interact with other parents throughout the childcare process, forming parental networks in a variety of scenarios and places. Classrooms are the appropriate contexts to explore the interplay of social categories (e.g., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status), parental ties and other multiplex classroom relationships (e.g., student friendships) fostered within the social systems of family, class, school and neighbourhood. As suggested by social capital theories, social networks are loaded with valuable social capitals from which parents can gain advantages for themselves and their children. The relation-based factors, including nodal network positions and the features of connected ties, can influence parents’ access to educational resources and opportunities and further determine their children’s academic performance. There is an essential concern on whether parental networks might amplify the advantages that their children derive from family socioeconomic status, thereby multiplying the existing inequalities in children’s education. This study is based on the 2010-2011 Children of Immigrants Longitudinal Survey in Four European Countries (CILS4EU). The tie-level data are given attention with the use of multilevel models involving random ego, classroom and alter effects. The effects of tie characteristics, ego attributes, alter attributes, egocentric network structural properties, and school (institutional) characteristics on students’ average grades of math, English and the survey country language are tested. The findings will shed light on the parental relational determinators of students’ academic achievements, contributing to the discussion on the relationship between social networks and educational inequalities.

The aim of my speech is to reflect, from a theoretical-critical perspective, on the ideological elements that support the content creator economy. The reciprocity of influence between the actions of online creators and those of online users could be considered a revival of “catallactic competition”, first theorized in the 1940s by economist and ante-litteram promoter of neoliberalism Ludwig von Mises. A fundament of Mises’ economic model was a new conception of freedom, according to which no external interference must prevent individuals from expressing themselves within the wider market. Today, this freedom to act in one’s own interest within the market is actuated by the interplay of various individuals involved in the platform economy, in which consumers are no longer considered passive, but “sovereign”. They influence the choices of content creators who, in turn, are able to entrepreneurially react by shaping their influential content to meet more people’s needs. This reaction, however, is but an illusion of exercising catallactic freedom. In such a socio-economic model, the individual seems freed from external imposition of preordained market logic yet is not at all detached from it, because herein freedom is not opposed to constraint but is based on constraint. Within the tight and immediate loop of content creation and content consumption it can become impossible to imagine realities other than those efficiently offered by the market and its enabling technologies. In this order, everyone becomes a potential entrepreneur but also an unconscious reproducer: the individualistic ideology of self-affirmation enslaves people to the marketable self.

Perceived discrimination—the feeling of being treated unfairly due to one’s race, gender, religion, age, etc.—remains widespread worldwide. Such experiences can undermine economic opportunities, life satisfaction, social relationships, and overall health. While much is known about the negative effects of discrimination, less is understood about how early life experiences shape perceptions of discrimination in adulthood across cultures.

Family relationships in childhood play a key role in shaping identity, self-esteem, and coping skills, which can influence a person’s vulnerability or resilience to discrimination in adulthood. Secure, supportive early relationships help foster emotional regulation and self-worth, equipping individuals to navigate discriminatory experiences more effectively. Conversely, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)—such as abuse, neglect, and feeling excluded within the family—may heighten sensitivity to rejection and marginalization.

Using data of 202,898 participants from 22 countries from the Global Flourishing Study, we performed a random effects meta-analysis of regression coefficients from each country. We identified significant childhood predictors of perceived discrimination in adulthood. ACEs, including abuse and feeling as an outsider with the family, were linked to a higher risk of perceived discrimination almost universally. Interestingly, close childhood relationships with mothers and fathers were associated with reduced risk in some nations but increased risk in others.

These findings highlight the lasting impact of childhood experiences on how discrimination is perceived in adulthood. They also underscore the need for culturally informed interventions that address early life factors, offering valuable insights for policymakers and researchers seeking to reduce discrimination and promote social equity worldwide.